Starlight's Kingdom
by Henry Seville
Summary: After receiving a call for help from a mysterious creature in her dreams, Starlight ventures outside of Equestria along with Sunburst and Trixie to try and find the source of the distress call. Now, in a strange land, the three unicorns must deal with magic, monsters, and a deep turmoil within the nobility.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This story was inspired by a dream I had one night.**

 **Thanks to Zoetic Zebra (from FIMfiction) for the edit. Cover image by AcesRulez 13 used with permission.**

* * *

Starlight sat in her seat near the window, the smell of her hot coffee filling her nostrils. Other ponies in the restaurant were all busy talking to each other, but thankfully they weren't being loud, because she just wanted to relax. She kept staring out the window, at the beautiful scenery of a great, green field. It annoyed her a little that she didn't remember how she had gotten to that place, but it didn't really matter.

Still staring out the window, Starlight levitated her cup of coffee and took a sip. It was cold. How could it get cold so fast?

"Do you want a new cup?" A mare spoke to Starlight from the opposite side of the table, startling her. She was a bright-yellow unicorn with a mane of two shades of blue, her turquoise eyes completing her lovely smile.

 _When did she get here?!_ Starlight wondered, before speaking to the mare, "Who are you?"

"You don't know me?" the mare replied, her smile fading for a second. She chuckled. "It's okay. Everything will be fine soon." She turned to stare out the window, smiling. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Starlight raised an eyebrow, slowly turning back to the window. "It is indeed…" Once she faced the window again, she gasped at the scene. What had been a beautiful green field was now nothing more than a barren wasteland, the strong wind carrying ash and sand into the air. "What the…" Starlight turned back to the yellow unicorn, but she wasn't there anymore. In fact, the whole restaurant was empty, and somehow it was in a horrible state; most of its furniture was destroyed, and all the windows were broken, even the window beside her.

"Starlight!"

Starlight faced the counter, getting greeted with a tall, white figure that was emitting blinding light. It was so tall it was intimidating, and it had an echoing feminine voice. Starlight couldn't make out any of the figure's features due to the strong light it was producing.

"C-Come…," the figure stuttered. Starlight hesitantly trotted up to it, using a foreleg to protect her eyes from the light. "Come and find us, b-before it's too late. Find us, Starlight Glimmer. H-here, take this..." The figure levitated something from the ground and reached out to give it to Starlight, but immediately everything around her disappeared.

-oOo-

Starlight's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the sunlight that was leaking from her bedroom's window. She used her magic to close the curtains so she could let her vision adjust.

"Another weird dream," she said to herself, rubbing her eyes and slowly stepping off the bed. _But does it have a meaning?_ She thought as she started towards the door. _Nah. If it was anything important, Princess Luna would most likely visit me in the dream...I guess._

Starlight trotted down the halls until she was in the throne room, where she was met with all of the element bearers.

"Ah, good morning?" Starlight greeted.

"Hi there, Star," Rainbow Dash yawned.

"What's the matter? Did the Map summon you?" Starlight asked, trotting up to the Map.

"No," Twilight responded. "We're going with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia to a friendship summit in Griffinstone today, so we were just discussing the matter."

Starlight opened her eyes a little wider. "Really? How long will it take?"

"Well, a little too long," Rarity replied, blowing a hair out of her view. "It's not just a summit; it's a visit."

"About two days, more or less," Applejack completed.

"Oh, alright. Fine," Starlight said, scratching the back of her head. "Looks like I can't go anyway."

"Why not?" Twilight asked.

"Trixie is coming along today, and Sunburst is visiting tomorrow. You should've told me earlier. Besides, it's not like I would be any good in a friendship summit."

"Of course you would." Twilight left her throne and stood beside Starlight, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "You're my student. You've come a long way in learning about friendship. I can't see how could you be no good."

"It's fine really," Starlight said, gently removing Twilight's hoof off her shoulder. "I can live without one friendship summit."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but decided to leave her student be. "If you say so."

"Big Mac is busy and Discord isn't here, so there's no point of me staying in the castle," Spike said, before giving a sigh. "But...I'm ready to stay just for you, Starlight."

"You can go with them, Spike. Trixie and Sunburst are coming. I won't be alone," Starlight reassured.

Noon quickly came and Starlight found herself waving goodbye as everyone left for their journey to Griffinstone, leaving her alone in the castle. For a moment, she thought that maybe she should have went with them, but she shrugged the thought off. Not only would that make her leave Trixie after telling her to come over, but it would also place her in a friendship summit, a place where she was convinced she didn't belong yet.

 _Glimmer_

Starlight flinched, turning her head left and right to try and find the source of the whisper.

"Is anypony there?" Starlight took a step back towards the castle, even lighting her horn just in case. But nothing happened, and no one showed up. "Must be my imagination," she sighed, placing a foreleg on her head and turning to face the castle. "Thankfully, I won't stay alone in the castle for two days; that would make my imagination go even wilder."

As soon as Starlight placed a hoof inside the castle, something landed on her shoulder. She quickly jumped back and turned around, her horn charged.

"Whoa whoa, hold your horses!" a blue unicorn mare yelled, raising her forelegs in defense. "It's me!"

"Trixie?" Starlight sighed in relief, trotting up to Trixie and giving her a hug. "You gave me a heart attack."

"Oh, remind to never surprise you again. Last thing I want is to get blasted away by my best friend." Trixie smiled sheepishly.

"I'm just a little jumpy nowadays," Starlight admitted, rubbing her neck.

"Anything troubling you and wanna talk about it? The Understanding and Friendly Trixie is here!" Trixie inquired with a wide smile, wrapping a foreleg around Starlight's shoulder.

"N-nothing, really," Starlight stuttered. "Just some weird dreams, and other tiny things."

"Well, dreams are Princess Luna's business, so I can't help you with them. The Great and Powerful Trixie is specialized in defeating evil queens!" Trixie reared, pointing a foreleg upwards.

"Of course you are," Starlight giggled, rolling her eyes. "Now come on, what do you wanna do first? Practice some tricks? Eat something?"

The two unicorns trotted inside the castle and closed the doors, but Starlight had a feeling she was leaving something out there. That she wasn't supposed to stay in the castle. Yet she was afraid of leaving.

As the night spread its darkness across Ponyville, Starlight and Trixie were ready to call it a day. Starlight had brought a second bed to her bedroom, and allowed Trixie to put her carriage inside the castle to keep it safe. _Twilight would be mad if she saw this_ , Starlight had thought.

Trixie quickly slumped down on the bed, while Starlight stood by her window, staring at the stars.

"What's keeping you up, Starlight?" Trixie asked.

"Nothing in particular," Starlight sighed in response.

Trixie sat up in her bed, bumping her forelegs against each other. "So, Starlight, I don't wanna be rude, but I wanted to ask you something."

"I'm all ears." Starlight left the night sky and turned to face her friend.

"Do you, um, have parents?" Trixie bit her lip.

"No, I was brought to life by an ancient deity."

A moment of silence fell, and Trixie was starting to worry, before Starlight broke into laughter.

"Just kidding!" Starlight giggled. "Of course I have parents."

"Phew!" Trixie sighed. "Where are they now?"

"I don't remember them. I lived as an orphan, ya know. I never met my parents."

"So there _is_ a possibility that you were brought to life by an ancient deity?" Trixie joked.

"Trixie, please!" Starlight laughed. "Don't think too hard about it, okay? If my parents cared about me, I wouldn't have ended up living as an orphan and turning into a Cutie-Mark-stealing villain." She faced the ground as she finished her sentence, her ears falling flat.

Silence loomed for a few seconds, and Trixie wanted to ask something, but she decided against it.

"Let's call it a night, shall we?" Starlight finally spoke.

"Yeah, okay." Trixie nodded, slipping under her sheets. "Goodnight, Starlight."

"Goodnight," Starlight replied as she trotted to her bed and slipped under the blankets, trying not to think about Trixie's question.

-oOo-

 _Starlight was sitting in her seat near the window again, the restaurant still in ruins just like she had left it. Opposite to her was sitting the yellow mare witt the blue mane, staring sadly out the window. Starlight placed her forelegs on the table, but quickly retracted them after sensing a burning-hot substance. She looked down and found her cup of coffee, spilled all over the table, the coffee so hot it was still steaming._

" _It's really amazing how one bad day can turn into a huge disaster," the yellow mare said, still staring out the broken window, tears welling in her eyes. Blinking the tears away, she turned to face Starlight. "Don't let this be your future. Fight it with all you've got!"_

 _Before Starlight could say anything, a massive beam of energy shot through the restaurant, cutting it in half. She ducked uner the table to cover herslef, and when she looked up, the yellow unicorn was gone, and her chair had been turned to ash by the beam. She gasped, crawling away from teh table in terror. But suddenly, she heard a familiar voice._

" _Starlight...Glimmer," it was the white tall figure's voice. Starlight turned to it as it began to slowly approach her. "Come and find us…," The figure levitated a piece of paper and reached out to give it to Starlight. "Take this. This is my last message to you. Hurry, before it's too late for everyone!"_

 _Starlight hesitated, but then took the paper in her magic and examined it. It was a map._

-oOo-

Starlight shot upwards in her bed, quickly throwing her blankets to the side. She trotted to her desk and grabbed a paper and a quill. She lit her horn, and an image of a map was projected at the wall in front of her.

"Come on, before I forget it!" she said to herself, quickly copying the map to the piece of paper.

As she finished drawing, a sound coming from outside the room caught her attention. Turning around, she noticed that Trixie wasn't in her bed. She headed out of the room, slowly trotting down the hall. Soon, she heard a voice whispering.

 _Glimmer._

Starlight turned to her left, finding herself in front of a door. Hesitantly, she used her magic to grab the handle. As soon as she did so, the door flew open and almost hit her in the face, revealing none other than Trixie, who had just finished using the bathroom.

"For Celestia's sake stop scaring me!" Starlight exclaimed, placing a hoof on her chest.

"I'm sorry!" Trixie waved a hoof in defense, before noticing the piece of paper in Starlight's magic grasp. "What's that?"

"It's, um, another dream."

"Oh, you have a dream diary? That's nice."

"No, not a dream diary! It's something serious." Starlight paused for a moment, sighing. "Can we please head outside? I really need some fresh air."

Trixie obliged, and the two headed outside the castle.

"Okay, first of all…" Starlight trotted forward, her eyes fixated at the paper.

"Um, Starlight—"

"Just listen to me, Trixie, I—" When Starlight looked up, she found herself nose to nose with a familiar orange unicorn. Startled, she jumped back, even though she recognized the stallion.

"Uh, good morning, Starlight," Sunburst said, then turned his gaze to Trixie and waved his foreleg. "Hello there, Trixie."

"Sunburst! I-I'm sorry I didn't see you…," Starlight stuttered.

"I see you were busy with something?" Sunburst pointed at the piece of paper.

"Starlight was just about to tell me about her dream diary," Trixie replied.

"Really?" Sunburst raised his eyebrow. "That sounds interesting."

"It's not a dream diary!" Starlight groaned, waving the paper in the air. "Guys, please, listen to me, okay? This might sound weird, but bear with me."

"I'm listening," Sunburst said as he sat down, and Trixie followed suit.

"For the past few days, I've been having dreams of some weird creature. I don't know what it was, but it was a female, and she told me to 'find them before it's too late'. And she called me with my name. She knew me." Starlight paced back and forth. "I wondered why didn't Princess Luna visit me, so I shrugged the matter off as nothing but silly dreams. But last night, the figure told me that it was the last message and gave me a map. So I drew it on this piece of paper."

Trixie and Sunburst stared in silence, and Sunburst's glasses slid down his nose, but he fixed them quickly.

"Could you show it to me?" Sunburst said, and Starlight handed him the map. After inspecting it for a few seconds, he spoke, "It seems to be pointing at an actual location outside of Equestria."

"So it's a real map?" Trixie asked. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but I'm going there," Starlight said, gaining gasps from the other two unicorns.

"Starlight, are you serious?" Sunburst widened his eyes. "This is very dangerous, and you don't even know what's waiting for you there."

"I don't care. It's clear that somepony is in need for help, and they need it quickly. I must go," Starlight insisted, stomping a hoof on the ground.

"Could you please slow down a little?" Trixie said, placing a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "You just woke up from a weird dream and now you wanna travel out of Equestria? What the hay?! At least wait for help."

"It's not just a weird dream, Trixie," Starlight replied taut. "Look, I'll go alone, okay? I don't want to put anypony else in danger. It's my dream, and they called for _me_. And I really wish I had help, but if I wait for it, it may come too late. Maybe it will indeed turn out to be nothing but silly dreams, but if I do nothing and it turns out to be real, who knows what will happen?"

"Starlight, wait…," Sunburst sighed, pausing for a moment. "I'm going with you.'

"Sunburst, I—"

"If you're dead set, then I'm going, too," Trixie interrupted. "Don't you remember the last adventure we went on together? Who knows what would've happened if you went alone?!"

"I really don't wanna put you in danger, but…," Starlight sighed. "Looks like I've already got you involved in this."

"It's okay, Starlight." Sunburst trotted up to his friend, placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "If you want to chase your dreams outside of Equestria, then we chase them with you! And just like Trixie said, your last adventure wouldn't have gone right had you gone on it alone."

"Looks like fate always places the two of us in situations where nopony can aid us and we have to save everything with zero help, am I right?" Trixie wrapped a hoof around Starlight shoulder as well. "Well, believe it or not, despite my complaining, I actually like it."

Starlight smiled, her friends' words creating a warm, reassuring feeling in her chest. "Thank you."

"I'll go prepare my carriage. You two have a breakfast," Trixie said, as she and the other two unicorns trotted inside the castle to prepare for their journey.

"Wait a second, your carriage is _inside_ the castle?" Sunburst asked.

"Hey!" Trixie snapped. "If you didn't want your stuff taken in the middle of the night by random ponies, you'd leave your carriage in there too!"


	2. Chapter 2

The wind carried sand into the air as the sun began to set . The trio of unicorns—Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie—had been trotting all day, and they still didn't find any place to stay the night. Although they had Trixie's carriage, but the carriage wouldn't be safe in a wide open area.

They were in a place that seemed like a desert, as the ground was nothing but sand, but there were bushes and trees here and there. Still, nowhere safe to hide the carriage. They had taken the train, but it had stopped at a dead end where they had to continue on hooves. They did use teleportation a few times to cover long distances, but still found nothing, and they didn't want to accidentally teleport into a dangerous area. Plus, Starlight could only teleport everyone so many times before getting tired.

"Are you sure you're not holding that map upside down, Starlight?" Trixie commented, panting.

"Uh, I think we would've ended up in the Crystal Empire in that case," Sunburst replied.

"Please, bear with me, I think we're getting close," Starlight said, inspecting the map once more.

"This is the umpteenth time you've said that!" Trixie groaned, gaining a sigh from Starlight.

"So, Starlight," Sunburst started, trotting up to the unicorn in name. "Why didn't you go with Twilight and her friends?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Starlight replied flatly.

"Not for me, I guess."

"It's a friendship summit."

"So?"

"I don't belong there, Sunburst. The ponies and griffins attending are _leaders_. I'm no leader, and I don't think I should be one."

"I thought you got over that. You know you have the abilities of a leader inside you," Trixie said.

"I'm not sure," Starlight sighed.

"Even though you're not a leader, you're the student of the Princess of Friendship," Sunburst added.

"But that's just it!" Starlight raised her voice slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean yes, I am Twilight's student, but then what? Where am I going next? Will I stay a student forever?" Starlight gave a sigh before continuing. "I guess a part of why I went on this journey was because I felt that my purpose was to help whoever called for me."

"Of course you'll stay a student forever," Sunburst said, and Starlight raised an eyebrow at him before he continued his statement. "We are all like that. No matter who you become, even if you become a teacher, you'll never stop learning. And regarding where you're going next, that's yours to decide. Life will give you opportunities, and it's up to you whether to take them or not."

Starlight let the words sink in, admiring Sunburst's thoughtfulness. "Well, that was actually deep. Thanks."

"Princess Cadance told me that speech once, so don't thank me," Sunburst chuckled.

"I _did_ suspect that it wasn't your creation!" Starlight giggled, giving the crystaller a bump on the shoulder.

A moment later, everyone froze in their place as a blood-curdling howl sounded in the air.

"What...was...THAT?!" Trixie exclaimed, shivering.

"The sun is setting. We must hurry, or we won't be able to escape whatever made that sound!" Starlight replied. She and the other two tied Trixie's carriage to their saddles and took off forward.

Another howl sounded, this time closer.

"I think I can see something," Starlight said, narrowing her eyes at the horizon. She could make out a green field.

"Finally!" Trixie exclaimed.

The trio galloped faster and faster, but when the supposedly green field became visible, they found themselves facing a high cliff, and it was too late for them to stop the carriage. They tumbled over the edge and began falling to their doom, but before hitting the ground, Starlight lit her horn, levitating herself, Sunburst, Trixie and the carriage, landing them on the ground safely.

"That was a close one," Starlight panted.

"Look out!" Trixie shouted as a boulder fell from the cliff and towards them. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and created a giant magic shield, and the boulder bounced off it and fell to the ground beside the trio.

"I-I didn't know you could do that!" Starlight said in utter shock.

"Neither did I!" Trixie admitted, scratching her head in confusion. "I have no idea how I did it. Something must be wrong with my magic...or perhaps something is _right_ with it."

"Could we please discuss magic power levels later?" Sunburst said, pointing at the cliff they just fell from. A gargantuan, silver-coated wolf stood there. His torso was wide and muscular and he briefly stood on his hind legs to howling.

"Run!" Starlight ordered, as if the others needed to hear that to run.

The three unicorns galloped away from the cliff, and they could hear the wolf chasing them. The ground underneath their hooves got greener as they progressed, and they soon ran into a wall of trees. After two minutes of running, the wolf's sound vanished, but they kept running until they were out of the thick cover of trees. By that time, the sun had set and the moon was rising.

The trio stopped, gasping for air. After calming down, they started to observe the environment around them. The land they were in was so weird and full with strange habitants. Small creatures flew around, but it was obvious they weren't bugs or butterflies. Spots of the ground were covered in grass and flowers, while others were empty and sandy like a desert. The small circles of pure water contrasted with the mud holes. Red clouds hovered high above, but holes in them allowed the beholder to take a glimpse at the night sky.

Everything there had something to contrast with it.

"Now...that's an interesting improvement," Sunburst commented, inspecting one of the flowers. "I've never seen something like this before.

"I thought Ponyville was the weirdest place I've ever visited," Trixie said, staring around her in awe. "I take it back now."

"Are you an angel?"

Starlight flinched at the squeaky voice that called from beside her. She searched for the source to find a small, breezie-like creature. Its white, six-limbed body looked like the one of a butterfly, but the head resembled that of a pony. It had two antennae like an insect, but the wings were three white feathers on each side of the back.

"Um, I was going to ask you the same thing!" Starlight stuttered, trying to both be gentle and not sound freaked out.

"My name is Harvest. I'm a Flutterbreeze," the creature replied, staring dreamily at Starlight.

Soon, a blue Flutterbreeze came and pushed Harvest on the side.

"Dude, are you blind?!" the blue Flutterbreeze said with a harsh voice. "You call _that_ one an angel? You have no taste! Look at the blue one. _That_ is some real angel-ness!" He placed an upper limb on Harvest's back and leaned against it, flashing a toothy grin at Trixie. "Name's Brick, sweetie!"

"That's it! You're so annoying!" Harvest pushed Brick off him, glaring fiercely. "You just had to ruin my moment, didn't you?"

As the two Flutterbreezes fought, Sunburst felt something tickling his left ear. Before he could stop it, a purple female Flutterbreeze jumped from behind his ear and stood on his nose, lying on her stomach and resting her head on her upper limbs.

"Between me and you, you're my favorite one," the Flutterbreeze said, winking at Sunburst.

"Okay okay! That's enough!" Starlight exclaimed, making Harvest and Brick stop fighting. She then proceeded to push the female Flutterbreeze off Sunburst's nose, shooting her a frown. "You guys can discuss your romantic life later. We are here on a mission."

"Look, it's a deer," Trixie interrupted, pointing to her left. A brown adult deer stood a few meters away from the group of unicorns and Flutterbreezes. He was taller than normal ponies, almost as tall as Luna, his big antlers adding a few inches to his waved at him silently, not expecting any reply from the wild critter.

"Hi there," the deer replied with a soft voice, startling the trio of unicorns.

"You can talk?!" Starlight asked, stunned.

"Yeah. Why not?" the deer trotted up to the group, offering his hoof. "My name is Scott Free. We don't see many unicorns around her."

"I'm Starlight Glimmer, and this is Trixie and Sunburst." Starlight shook Scott's hoof, pointing at her friends as she mentioned their names.

"Nice to meet...wait a second, did you just say 'Starlight _Glimmer'_?!" Scott asked, utter shock clear on his face.

"I...guess I did?" Starlight answered, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't believe this. It's actually happening!" Scott shook his head, smiling slightly. "Look, whatever happens, don't tell the witches that your last name is 'Glimmer', okay?"

"Witches?" Starlight gave him a glance that showed just how confused she was.

"Witches aren't so far fetched in a place like this. I mean, look at those...tiny dragons...with bug-like wings," Sunburst said, pointing at a big flower in front of him. Standing there was a green dragon the size of a butterfly, its body slim and its wings transparent. "Until somepony says otherwise, I'm gonna call these guys 'Dragon Butteflies'."

Starlight was about to comment, but she was quickly interrupted with the return of the howling.

"Does this guy never give up?!" Sunburst said, ready to run at any second.

"You guys are followed by an Amarok?" Scott inquired. "The only ponies who can help you with that are the witches… even if you can't control your magic here, they can. They'll know what to do. "

"Aren't you running, too?" Starlight asked, struggling against Trixie, who was pulling on her foreleg.

"The Amarok doesn't eat deers. It's main foods are ponies...and vegetables, so don't worry about me. Leave the carriage for me and I'll catch up with you soon," as Scott finished his sentence, the huge wolf emerged from the trees.

Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie quickly galloped for their lives, even though Starlight had a strong urge to stay and question the existence of a huge wolf that lived on eating vegetables.

"Bye," Harvest sighed dreamily, waving goodbye to Starlight. But soon, Brick came in to ruin his mood.

"Your standards suck," Brick whispered, making Harvest's face redden in anger.

" _You_ suck!" Harvest exclaimed, lunging at Brick and resuming the fight Starlight had stopped.

"This is why I prefer ponies," the female Flutterbreeze muttered as she watched the fight with a deadpan expression, folding two upper limbs across her chest.

Soon, the trio of unicorns drew closer to an old, huge mansion. Had they not been followed by a wolf, Starlight would've stopped for a second to talk with a reformed Changeling they saw on their way to the mansion.

 _Could this place get any weirder?_ Starlight thought.

A sand-yellow unicorn mare stepped out of the mansion. She blew her wavy orange mane out of her view, adjusting her medieval green dress, which matched with her green eyes. She groaned when she saw three unicorns running from a huge wolf, but she proceeded to help them anyway.

"This is one of the times when I wish Fluttershy was around!" Starlight shouted.

"I hope that mare can help us," Trixie said, pointing towards the mansion ahead of them.

The mare lit her horn, and her eyes gained a ruby undertone. She charged forward, passing by the three running unicorns, then conjured an aura shield that exploded outwards violently, throwing the wolf off balance and into the ground. The wolf was about to stand up and retaliate, but the mare acted quickly.

"Return to where you came from, now!" the mare bellowed with an echoing voice, her eyes crimson. "Or else, I shall deal with you violently."

The air felt heavy, and even Starlight and the others felt uneasy. The Amarok dropped its ears and took a few steps back, and it looked as if it was about to cry. After creating a safe distance between it and the wrathful mare, it sprinted away

When the wolf was gone, the mare turned around, a friendly smile on her face as if a switch was turned, her eyes green again.

"Welcome!" the mare beamed.

 _No, that brings back memories!_ Starlight thought, facehoofing.

"I see you had the unfortunate opportunity to meet the Amarok. Good thing _only_ an Amarok followed you. I know you're probably exhausted now, but may I ask what brings you here?" the mare asked as if nothing had happened.

"I'm Starlight G...yeah, Starlight, and those are Trixie and Sunburst," Starlight replied, remembering Scott's advice in the last moment. "We were, um, just passing by."

"Really?" the mare raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we're nothing but a group of adventurers!" Sunburst played along with Starlight's lie, faking a smile.

"We traveled so long," Trixie added, wiping sweat off her forehead for a dramatic effect. "We were looking for somewhere to stay the night. Would you be so kind to let us stay here? Just for one night."

Starlight flashed a frown at Trixie, for she didn't know if one night would be enough for them to find out what's wrong with this place and fix it.

After a few uncomfortable seconds of inspecting, the mare finally spoke, "Of course! You're welcome in our haven."

"'Our'?" Trixie asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let us introduce ourselves." The mare turned around and called, "Girls! Come out here, please."

Quickly, two young unicorn mares trotted out of the mansion. One of them had a grey coat and a blue mane, her deep blue eyes hiding behind glasses. The other was orange-coated with a dark-brown mane, her eyes brown. They both wore medieval clothes like their mother.

"My name is Shoreline Whisper," the mare said, before pointing at her grey daughter. "And those are my daughters: Cloudy Night and Cinnamon Rolls," she finished her sentence by pointing at her orange-coated daughter.

"We're glad to have you as guests!" the two daughters said in unison, a spooky grin on their faces.

 _This is going to be a long night_ , Sunburst thought, gulping.


	3. Chapter 3

After long seconds of weird, unsettling grinning, Cinnamon Rolls and Cloudy Night burst into laughter, leaving looks of confusion on the faces of all three adventurers.

"We totally scared you, didn't we?" Cloudy Night said between her giggles.

"We? I'm not sure. My smile was definitely the scariest," Cinnamon Rolls said, keeping her nose high and adjusting her mane.

"That's not true!" Cloudy glared, trotting up to her sister and placing a foreleg on her nose. "You're so cocky!"

"I'm not."

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

"Girls, could you please not fight in front of our guests?" Shoreline Whisper said, trying her best to not show any sign of anger or annoyance by forcing a grin.

"Yes, mother," the two daughters replied, still shooting frowns at each other.

Scott Free soon trotted up to the group of six unicorns, dragging Trixie's carriage behind him.

"Scott! What is that you're dragging to our mansion?" Shoreline inquired harshly, scowling at the deer.

"Um, it's ours," Trixie answered.

"Oh! If that's so, then it's fine." Shoreline's frown again disappeared immediately. Still, she spoke harshly with Scott. "Now come on, Scott! Move your flank and park the carriage near the mansion."

Scott obliged, dragging the carriage up to the mansion's wall. He then formed a blue sphere of magic between his antlers, and the carriage's saddle was levitated off him.

"Wait...you can use magic?!" Sunburst asked with shock.

"Scott is a magical deer, my dear," Shoreline giggled at her own statement, though she failed to gain the slightest of smiles from the three adventurers. "They live in this land. Never heard of them?"

"Not that I remember," Starlight said, as she and Trixie trotted towards the carriage. She then leaned closer to Scott and whispered, "What is your relationship with them?"

"I'm...I'm their servant," Scott replied hesitantly, letting his head hang low. He and Starlight moved away from each other as Shoreline cleared her throat.

"So, want any help with that carriage?" Shoreline asked as nicely as she could.

"Thanks, we'll be fine," Starlight said, using her magic to pull a towel out of the carriage. As soon as she did so, electric bolts began to dance around her horn, and she felt a sudden urge to sneeze. "Everypony….stand back!" she exclaimed, quickly turning her face away from the others.

Starlight let out a loud sneeze, releasing a powerful beam of magic at the ground. She rubbed her nose and opened her eyes, getting greeted with a long trench dug into the soil in front of her.

"Blessed," Sunburst commented sarcastically.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know how that happened," Starlight apologized frantically.

Shoreline's eyes grew wide for a second, but she quickly retained her smile. "It's fine."

"Are you serious?! Didn't you see how big that blast was?" Trixie exclaimed. "And on our way here, I managed to create a boulder-proof shield, but before that I hadn barely been able to teleport!"

Sunburst levitated the towel Starlight had dropped, but his horn shone brighly, setting the towel on fire. He threw it at the ground and stomped it with his forelegs until the fire was put out.

"What the hay is wrong with our magic?" Sunburst wondered aloud.

"I forgot to tell you," Shoreline started. "In this land, unicorns get a magical increment. Your magic is much more powerful here."

"ONLY unicorns!" Cloudy Night added, pushing her glasses up her muzzle. "Even alicorns don't get a magical boost here."

"Exactly what my daughter said. You may need some time to adapt to your extended powers." Shoreline trotted up to Starlight, inspecting her carefully. "But I must say, that blast was quite powerful. You must be really strong."

"O-or maybe it's luck of the beginners?" Starlight stuttered, forcing a nervous smile.

"You look familiar." Shoreline leaned closer, making Starlight's heart beat fast. After what seemed like an eternity for Starlight, Shoreline took a step away. "No, that's impossible. We don't get many visitors here, let alone repeated visitors."

Starlight sighed in relief. "So, what is this place?"

"This is the land of Jinjabannera. Ever heard of it?" Shoreline said, to which Starlight and her friends shook their heads. "I figured so. This place is almost isolated. Come on then, let's get into the mansion and have some dinner. I bet you're very hungry now." With that, Shoreline and her daughters trotted towards the mansion, gesturing to the others to follow them.

 _Glimmer_.

Starlight heard the whisper as she followed the family of three mares. She turned to her right, and from afar she could make out the image of a huge, damaged building, most likely a castle. She couldn't stop staring at it, and she felt as if it was dragging her. Suddenly, she collided with something soft, which she then found out was Sunburst's flank.

"I, uh, I'm sorry! I wasn't looking," Starlight said, a blush making its way to her cheeks.

"It's fine. Did you find anything important?" Sunburst responded calmly.

"Not really."

For a second, Starlight wondered if Shoreline was the one who had called her in her dreams. But many things debunked that assumption. Shoreline wasn't even half as tall as the figure, and she didn't seem to be in trouble. In fact, she seemed like she could _cause_ trouble. Starlight then wondered if Shoreline indeed had called her and this whole thing was a trap. She wasn't sure, but she had to stay sharp.

"Guys," Trixie whispered to the other two as they entered the mansion, snapping Starlight out of her thoughts. "I don't wanna sound paranoid, but I think these three mares are _evil_!"

"You're not being paranoid, Trixie," Starlight whispered back. "I know that mare saved our lives, but the way she did it was outright creepy. And if that wasn't enough, the way she's treating Scott Free isn't right."

As the six unicorns and a deer made their way through the main hall of the mansion, they found a collection of big masks with chilling expressions hanging on the walls. Trixie shivered at their sight.

"I know, they're scary," Shoreline said. She thought she heard a 'You don't say' coming from behind her, but she ignored it. "They're a collection of ancient artifacts I collected when I was young."

"Don't worry, they don't bite...usually," Cinnamon Rolls added calmly, punctuating her sentence with a smirk, which made Trixie feel even more uneasy.

"That looks like more evidence that they're evil, if you ask me," Sunburst whispered.

Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie exchanged looks upon hearing strange, faint noises from underneath the floor, something that sounded similar to a metal chain being dragged, but they all shrugged it off as Shoreline spoke.

"The bathrooms are down that hall," Shoreline said, gesturing to a hall to her right. "Get yourselves clean while we prepare the dinner. Scott! Escort them and come back quickly."

"Yes, ma'am," Scott obliged, trotting beside the trio of unicorns through the hallway.

When they were far enough from Shoreline and her daughters, Starlight whispered to Scott, "What's her problem with you?"

"I'm not sure," Scott replied, shaking his head. "But I heard what you said. You are right, the witches _are_ evil. And they're planning for something...really bad. You guys will help stop them, right?"

"I hope so," Starlight scratched her chin. "Why did you warn me from saying my last name to the family?"

"I'll tell you later. If I stay for too long with you, they'll get suspicious." As they reached the bathrooms, Scott quickly turned around and trotted back to the family of witches.

"Well, that totally didn't make me any more scared than before!" Trixie said sarcastically.

"You're not the only one scared, Trixie, believe me," Starlight sighed, a look of concern on her face. "Let's just get clean and act normal. We'll come up with a plan later."

-oOo-

After Starlight had almost destroyed the bathroom and accidentally teleported twice out of it, Trixie had kept creating magic shields that prevented the water from reaching her body, and Sunburst had almost burned the shower, they were finally about to have some dinner. The six unicorns sat on a long dining table as Scott Free served them food. Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie sat on one end beside each other, Starlight being in the middle, while Shoreline and her daughters sat on the other end.

"Scott, you can eat with us this time," Shoreline said before Scott could leave the room, raising her nose and eyeing Scott from the corner of her eyes.

"Oh...thanks, ma'am," Scott replied, fetching a chair and a plate then sitting on the middle of the table.

"So, you're a group of adventurers?" Shoreline asked, placing her fork in her plate of salad.

"Yeah, adventure is our thing!" Starlight answered, smiling nervously.

"Then you must have visited a lot of weird places," Cloudy Night added, levitating something from her plate and throwing it in her sister's.

"Do you like our land so far?" Cinnamon Rolls asked, as she levitated the thing her sister had thrown and throwing it back at her face.

"Well, it's certainly unique," Sunburst said, sipping from his tea. "It's pretty nice and...weird."

"Really? I thought Cloudy gave you a bad first impression," Cinnamon joked, shooting her sister a smirk, which made her face redden in anger.

"Enough, fillies," Shoreline scolded. Her ice cold glare was enough to give Starlight chills. Once again it melted away when she turned her gaze to the trio.

Starlight stared out the windows that were a few feet to the table's side. She could see many houses, but some of them were in ruins, and others were clearly abandoned. All the houses were behind the mansion, which explained why they hadn't seen any of them when they had been running from the wolf. She could see two families of Changelings, some magical deers, and wingless dragons as tall as Spike.

"Jinjabannera is really impressive," Starlight admitted. "But I have to wonder, why is it in a...not so good shape? Why aren't there more ponies or creatures living around?"

"You see, few are the ponies who would prefer living here," Shoreline replied, a small smile on her face as she threw a hoof in the window's direction. "The weather is curious, the land is puzzling, I'm sure you understand. Some even wouldn't like the idea that only unicorns get a more advanced energy." She huffed. "Such weird ponies."

"So who's the ruler around here?"

Shoreline slightly jerked her head back. "Why, it doesn't actually need a ruler," she chuckled. "Not a lot of problems happen in Jinjabannera. But the closest we have to a ruler is a mayor, and that is me." She pointed at herself, smiling widely. "That's all Jinjabannera needs."

"It needs an animal control force, too," Trixie whispered to her friends.

Starlight turned her gaze to Scott, and saw him shaking his head to her, his lips pointing downward.

"Alright, then," Starlight said, levitating a sandwich from her plate. "Too bad we're leaving tomorrow." She hesitantly took a bite, chewing it slowly. When she was sure there was nothing funny in her meal, she took another bite.

"Indeed. But more weird places are waiting for us out there!" Sunburst added, letting out a forced chickle.

The rest of the dinner went in awkward silence, and Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie soon found themselves being escorted to the bedrooms.

"Sorry for that, but only one bedroom is available, because some _fillies_ had to experiment in the rest of the spare rooms," Shoreline said, shooting her daughters a frown, to which they reacted by folding their forelegs across their chests and puffing their cheeks.

 _Good. We must stay in one room_ , Starlight thought.

"And I must apologize again, because…" Shoreline opened the door, revealing that the bedroom only had one bed.

"One bed?" Starlight and Sunburst said in unison. They met each other's eyes for a second, then turned their gaze to the ground, their cheeks gaining a pink tone.

Trixie shifted her gaze between them, a deadpan on her face. "I don't care! I just want to sleep," she snapped, quickly trotting inside the room.

"After you," Sunburst said, making space for Starlight to enter.

"Thanks," Starlight chimed, giving Sunburst a timid smile as she trotted inside, followed suit by him.

"Sleep well, everypony!" Shoreline said as she closed the bedroom's door, her smile still looking forced.

"Finally!" Trixie sighed happily, slumping on the bed. She then lifted her head and looked at the others. "Um, I mean, I'll sleep on the floor if you want."

"We won't sleep. Not now," Starlight said.

"What?!"

"Trixie, please focus! We need to make a plan."

Sunburst was about to say something, but he was cut off.

"Alright!" Trixie jumped off the bed. "Any good ideas?"

"Um, girls—"

"Actually," Starlight started, cutting Sunburst off. "There was that abandoned building I saw before we—"

"Girls!" Sunburst snapped.

"What?" Starlight and Trixie asked in unison.

"I, ah, I need to go to the bathroom," Sunburst said with a low tone, a light blush on his cheeks.

Starlight sighed. "Alright. Do you still remember the way to the bathrooms?"

"I think so." Sunburst trotted to the door and opened it.

"Just make it quick. I have a feeling the witches won't be happy if they see you snooping around the mansion."

With that, Sunburst left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Trixie, did you feel anything strange while in this house?" Starlight asked.

"Yes; It's big, spooky and inhabited by three evil unicorns," Trixie replied flatly.

"No, not that. I feel like...like I've been here before," Starlight said, rubbing her neck as she scanned the room with her eyes. "Like...a Deja Vu. Ya know?"

"Okay, that's weird. But for me, I've never seen this place before."

"I see," Starlight muttered, turning her gaze to the ground.

Meanwhile, Sunburst wandered around the dark hallways of the mansion. For a moment, he thought he was lost, but he quickly knew where to go when he found one of the creepy masks on the wall. In the cruel darkness he felt as if he was having a heart attack, but at least he knew where he was. He then used his horn to illuminate the way, but instead of emitting light normally, his horn caught on fire like a candle. He panicked at first, but he quickly calmed down when he noticed that the flames didn't hurt him.

Before he could start down the hallway to the bathrooms, the sound of chatter caught his attention. He searched for the source to find light leaking from under the door of a room. He understood two words: 'Awake' and 'Queen'. That surely got him hooked. He tip-hoofed his way to the door and listened.

"Ugh, why did you even save them, mom?!" Cinnamon Rolls asked in annoyance.

"Isn't it obvious?" came the answer from Shoreline. "The Amarok would only eat one of them and leave, and then the others would rage and ask me why didn't I help. We don't know how strong these unicorns are, I couldn't risk their magic going haywire or running away and telling somepony. Besides...I didn't want a mess on my lawn."

"But what if they cause trouble?" came another question, this time it was clearly Cloudy Night.

"They won't. They're leaving tomorrow morning. And as they trot away, I will use my magic to wipe out their memories of this place," Shoreline spoke again, her voice more firm than before, to which Sunburst widened his eyes. "Our weapon is almost done, so we must avoid any complications. Let's just act normal and let them leave tomorrow peacefully."

"Great. We are waiting one more day because of unexpected visitors," Cinnamon groaned.

"Well, I told you to create a magic shield around the kingdom regularly!" Shoreline snapped. "But you didn't listen!"

"No pony ever dares to get close to our kingdom, none of the citizens dares to try and get out, and renewing the shield is an annoying task even with a magical boost, so why should we do it?!" Cloudy whined.

"First, this isn't the first time. Second, because somepony had enough luck to enter our kingdom today, as you can see!" Cinnamon answered angrily. "It was your turn to renew the shield."

"No, it was _your_ turn!"

"Your turn!"

"Shut up both of you!" Shoreline interrupted. "I know very well that you two rarely _rarely_ renew the shield. But forget about it now. We should focus on the spell at hoof. Then everything will be ours."

"Mom, just wanted to ask…," Cloudy spoke, using one foreleg to scratch the other. "Aren't you getting bored of this? I mean, we've been trying to make this weapon work for _ages_. Perhaps it's about time we...moved to something else?"

Shoreline was taken aback, frowning. "What?!"

"Actually, I'm just a _little bit_ with Cloudy," Cinnamon added. "I'm sure there are a lot of…'exciting' things out there that we can try instead of this."

Shoreline chuckled in contempt. "Listen to yourselves. Giving up _now_? Now that power is almost in our grasp?! Have some patience! I promise that it will all be worth it in the end."

"Of course, mom," Cinnamon and Cloudy said together in a dull tone.

"I don't want to hear these sentences of despair from you ever again." Shoreline began trotting towards the door.

"Oh, my…" Sunburst muttered, quickly turning around and rushing to the bathrooms.

-oOo-

"You're finally back?" Trixie said, as Sunburst entered the bedroom in a hurry and closed the door.

"What's wrong, Sunburst?" Starlight asked worriedly, noticing Sunburst's expression.

"The witches...I over heard them," Sunburst panted. "They said something about a weapon, about 'awaking' something and a 'queen'. I don't know exactly what they're up to, but—"

"Ah yes, an evil queen!" Trixie interrupted Sunburst, smiling widely. She then wrapped a hoof around Starlight's shoulder. "We've done it before, Starlight, and we can do it again. Last time we didn't even have magic, this time not only do we have magic, but it's also boosted!"

"I admire your enthusiasm, Trixie, but this is serious," Sunburst said taut. "Yes, we do have a boost, but so do _they_. This is more dangerous than you think."

Trixie turned her gaze away, muttering a "Pessimist!" with a pout.

"Did you make any plan?" Sunburst inquired, fixing his glasses.

"Well…," Starlight started, before something hit the window of the bedroom, startling everyone.

"What the hay?!" Trixie whispered, hugging Starlight's foreleg.

Carefully, Starlight and Sunburst approached the window. When they saw nothing, they opened it, and Starlight volunteered to poke her head out.

"Pssst!"

Starlight looked down, getting greeted with non other than Scott Free.

"Scott, you scared us to death!" Starlight said quietly, loud enough for Scott to hear her.

"Just get down here! We don't have time to waste," Scott responded, turning left and right in fear.

After exchanging looks with her friends, Starlight wrapped everyone in her magic and brought them down to where Scott was standing. There was something different about the land, though: it was snowing.

"Shoreline wasn't lying," Sunburst said, staring at the snow around him "The weather here _is_ weird."

"Why did you call us here?" Starlight asked.

"I want to help you. We only have this night," Scott answered. "I'll do anything to get rid of Shoreline and her tyranny. And I know where to start looking for a solution."

"The abandoned castle, am I right?" Starlight said, pointing at the castle she had seen back before she had entered the mansion.

"Y-Yes. How did you know?"

"Call it a lucky guess."

"Then follow me." With that, Scott started towards the castle, followed by the trio of unicorns.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Sunburst whispered to Starlight.

"I hope so," Starlight replied, then addressed Scott. "So, if Shoreline is so bad, why doesn't anypony in Jinjabannera stand against her? Is there no one strong enough? Or why doesn't anyone leave?"

"Are you kidding?" Scott raised his voice slightly. "Shoreline is insanely strong. And if that isn't enough, when she took over she removed all the books from Jinjabannera, to make sure that no one could ever become strong or smart enough to stand against her. And since the citizens are weak, non of them dares to leave Jinjabannera because the surroundings are dangerous. This is one of the reasons why I told you to head to the mansion directly, because Shoreline would be so mad if she saw you interacting with the citizens. On top of that, Shoreline used to use cruel living conditions to keep Jinjabannerans busy with their own lives..."

Starlight gazed away at the houses as she listened to Scott, noticing two young deers playing with snow. "Sounds a little too familiar to me," she muttered, dropping her ears and facing the ground. She raised her head again as she felt a hoof landing on her shoulder, getting greeted with Sunburst's reassuring smile, to which she could only respond with a smile of her own.

"I always wanted to see lands beyond Jinjabannera," Scott continued, a small smile making its way to his face as he stared at the sky. "I always wanted to visit Equestria and learn more about everything. But alas…" he finished, letting his head hang low. "You guys are adventurers, right? I so envy you."

"That isn't entirely true," Starlight said, to which Scott raised an eyebrow. "We came here specifically. It may sound weird, but somepony called for help in my dreams and gave me a map that led us here. Apparently, it wasn't just a silly dream."

"So aren't you going to tell us why did you warn Starlight from saying her last name to the witches?" Trixie inquired.

"Honestly...I-I don't really know," Scot stuttered, bracing himself for the response.

"WHAT?!" Starlight and her friends yelled, and Scott motioned them to stay quiet.

"Please listen," Scott started again. "I don't know exactly what does the name 'Glimmer' mean, but I know that Shoreline hates it so so much. I think I know the name, but I don't remember exactly from where. Maybe I heard it in a dream, or a vision."

"So you're basing all of this on a dream?!" Trixie replied, gaining a raised eyebrow from Starlight. "No offense!" she waved her hoof in defense, smiling sheepishly.

"It always baffled me, to be honest," Scott continued, scratching his head. "The earliest thing I remember was Shoreline asking me about 'stupid little Glimmer', and she was extremely angry, then she forced me to become her servant. Anything before that is a mystery for me, as if my life started there, but I know it's impossible." He shook his head and rubbed it in pain.

 _His memory must have been damaged magically_ , Starlight thought, scratching her chin as she tried to make sense out of Scott's words. She then turned to Sunburst and whispered, "What he said almost confirms that I'm connected to this place. But how? And why? It doesn't even make sense!"

"Let's hope we can find some answers in that castle," Trixie replied instead of Sunburst. Quickly, her thoughts began to wander back to the previous night, to the conversation she had had with Starlight. _That joke Starlight told me about an ancient deity...could it be..._

"So what can you tell us about Shoreline's weapon?" Sunburst asked.

"Not much, only that it's very dangerous," Scott replied. "It has something to do with absorbing or channeling magic. But what baffles me is that they're keeping something dreadful in the basement."

"What? What kind of 'dreadful thing'?" Starlight asked, her face reading confusion.

"I don't know, and I think I don't _want_ to know. They never told me about it and I've never tried to check the basement." Scott shivered. "I guess whatever it is, it's better off down there."

Soon later, the group found themselves standing in front of the entrance of a big, abandoned castle. Only one half of the gate was there, most of the walls were broken, leaves and vines covering them, and the roof was almost non-existent. Time had left it's mark of decay on the place, everything looking pale, sad even.

A cold gust of wind blew from inside the castle and into the group standing in front of it, adding more to the unwelcoming feel the sight of the castle had already created.

"What happened here?" Starlight asked, staring at the castle in both awe and fear.

"Clearly a great battle. For me it's always been like this," Scott replied. "But it's likely that Shoreline hides all the books of Jinjabannera here."

Starlight was starting to get irritated by how little information Scott could offer, but she did excuse him since his memory was clearly damaged. She took a deep breath and started towards the castle's entrance, only to be stopped a few inches away by Sunburst.

"Stop!" Sunburst said, pointing at the ground after the gate. "Look at this."

Starlight inspected the ground for a few seconds, lighting her horn to sense anything abnormal. She then noticed a thin black line carved into the floor. "It's an alarm spell," she said, following the line with her eyes. "And it looks like it's connected to a trap. Thanks for saving my flank, Sunburst."

"No problem," Sunburst said, smiling.

"Let's see if I can deactivate it without blasting the whole thing by accident." Starlight lit her horn and lowered her head to the black line on the ground. After concentrating for a few seconds, with a horn blazing with magic, the black line finally faded.

"I think it worked," Sunburst said, reluctantly placing a hoof inside the castle. When nothing happened, he and the others trotted inside.

They were in a long, wide hall that ended with a broken throne. It was so wide that it felt like a field. There were many pillars, a few of them broken, and there were several other rooms, but they seemed to be empty. Silver sets of armors stood on both sides of the hall, and some of them were damaged. They looked eerily life-like; much to Trixie's dismay.

"What's wrong with this place and creepy inanimate objects?!" Trixie muttered, worriedly looking left and right.

Starlight searched for anything piculiar, and found a small door on the ground. "That door," she suddenly said, gesturing to the door she had found. "What does it lead to? It's less dustier than everything else and there are less plants on it."

"That means it gets used often," Sunburst added.

"You're right. I'll try to open it," Starlight said, trotting up to the door and engulfing it with her magic, but once she did so, the whole thing exploded, revealing a staircase that led to a room below. "I didn't mean to do that!" Starlight replied, biting her lip, then turned her gaze to the stairs. "There must be something important down there."

Sunburst looked at Scott, and noticed him shifting his hooves, a look of nervousness on his face. "Are you okay, Scott?" he asked.

"I-I'm sorry, but I'm scared of narrow and enclosed places," Scott replied, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Is this why you never tried to explore the mansion's basement?" Trixie asked.

"Y-Yes."

"If you want, you can stay here while we go downstairs," Starlight suggested.

"No! I need to know what is in there. I-I think I'll be fine," Scott stammered.

"If you say so." With that, everyone trotted downstairs, using their magic to illuminate the darkness.

As soon as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, they found piles upon piles of books. There were some shelves where books rested, but clearly they weren't enough to contain everything. There were some small artifacts, but nothing stood out.

"This is insane," Sunburst commented, touching one of the books, only to scratch a thick layer of dust.

"Twilight would _die_ if she saw this," Starlight said, levitating a book and flipping through its pages. "There are some really valuable information here. This one says that unicorns get a boost in magic in Jinjabannera only when they hit puberty. It also says that the boost differs from a pony to another, and it says something about the risks of inexperienced unicorns having a boost." She closed the book, turning to Trixie. "Good thing you studied magic when you were young, Trixie."

"Yeah yeah, the whole School for Gifted Unicorns thing," Trixie replied, scratching her nose. "I learned so much valuable things, but applying them wasn't as easy."

"Me and you both, sister," Sunburst commented with a chuckle as the group trotted deeper into the room, then turned to Scott. "I heard the witches talking about awaking something, but nothing here seems like it could be 'awakened'."

"I-If they said so, then it must be something really bad," Scott said, sweating and scanning his surrounding nervously.

"Um, guys, is this 'bad' enough?" Trixie trembled, pointing at something that she had illuminated with the light from her horn.

Everyone turned to see what Trixie was talking about, gasping at the sight they were met with. Standing there was a statue of a gigantic centipede with big mandibles, standing on the back quarter of its body, looking as if it was ready to attack at any moment.

"Because it looks bad enough for _me_!" Trixie added.


	4. Chapter 4

"Look, Starlight, I know I told you that I was specialized in defeating evil queens, but there's a limit to the _size_ of the queens I can defeat!" Trixie exclaimed, waving at the huge stoned worm in front of them.

"Just calm down," Starlight said. "We don't know if this is just a statue or—"

Starlight was interrupted when the statue's eyes glowed bright green. Everyone took a step back, and Trixie hugged Starlight in fear, instinctively smothering the two of them with four magical shields.

"Trixie, let me breathe!" Starlight coughed, freeing herself from her friend's grip.

"What are you waiting for?! RUN!" Trixie shouted, ready to take off.

" _Wait_ ,"

Starlight turned to the statue as the sound called from it, but when no one else turned to the statue, it became clear that only she could hear it

"Guys, stop," Starlight said, placing a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "Did you hear anything?" Everyone shook their heads. "Well, I did!"

" _I am not your enemy_ ," the statue spoke again with a voice strong and feminine.

"What did you hear?" Sunburst inquired.

"The statue," Starlight answered, stepping closer to the stone worm. "She's talking to me."

"'She'?" Trixie raised an eyebrow.

"I'll try to make you all hear her through me. Just give me a second," Starlight said, her horn glowing brighter than before. A small ball of magic floated from her horn and landed beside the statue, taking the form of a speaker. "This should do it."

" _Greetings, everypony_ ," the statue said, and this time everyone could hear it. " _And greetings, Scott Free. It has been so long since I last saw you._ "

Scott's yes grew wide, everyone turning their gaze to him.

"H-How do you know me?" Scott stuttered. "Who are you?"

" _I see. It looks like you have used your last resort_."

"Ahem," Trixie cleared her throat. "Don't want to be rude, but would you please explain what the hay are you talking about?!"

"You are the one who called me in my dreams, aren't you?" Starlight asked. " Why can't anypony else hear you naturally? And why couldn't Princess Luna notice my dreams?!"

" _Easy, Starlight Glimmer. Everything will be explained in due time_."

"We are listening," Starlight said, sitting down and motioning the others to do the same. Trixie hesitated, but she sat down eventually.

" _Would you allow me to use your magic? To illustrate my thoughts to everyone through you?_ "

"Um, sure?" Starlight replied.

" _My name is Centaria, queen of Jinjabannera. Years ago, I ruled this land in peace. I took under my wing a number of mages, hoping that one of them would one day become strong and wise enough to be my successor_ , _since I'm a very old centipede_."

Starlight's magic automatically created a colored, three-dimensional projection, representing a huge worm and three unicorns (two mares and one stallion). One of the mares, however, was clearly Shoreline Whisper, and there were two little fillies standing beside her, obviously her daughters. What caught Starlight's attention the most was that the other mare looked almost exactly like the yellow unicorn she had seen in her dreams. Her manestyle was similar to Rainbow Dash's, and her cutie mark was a blue silhouette of Starlight's but with three blue sparkles around it.

" _Aurora Glimmer, her husband Midnight Glimmer, and Shoreline Whisper were my students_."

"A-Are these two…," Starlight muttered, placing a hoof on her mouth.

" _Yes, Starlight. Midnight and Aurora are your parents_."

Everyone took a loud gasp at the news Centaria had just broke.

" _All three of them were promising, but Shoreline and Aurora kept butting heads. With their great talent with magic, they grew big egos that clashed with each other_."

The projection showed Aurora and Shoreline locking their foreheads, Shoreline glaring at Aurora's smirk.

" _Aurora's behaviour was harmless for the most part, but Shoreline had more than just a big ego; she was so power-hungry, always wanting more no matter what the consequences were, and her rivalry with Aurora soon grew into pure hatred towards the latter, not to mention how she thought that unicorns were supperior to other pony races. While both Aurora and Shoreline were good at magic, Aurora was still better at the moral aspect of the lessons. It did worry me, but I hoped that Shoreline would learn with time_."

" _Midnight Glimmer, on the other hoof, loved adventure more than learning about magic. One day, when Aurora was pregnant with you, Midnight went on a journey, one that he never came back from_."

An image then appeared of a unicorn stallion trotting away from Aurora and disappearing.

" _In his absence, a young deer called Scott Free, who had been a friend of Midnight's, stood beside Aurora in her time of need_."

Then there was an image of a deer patting Aurora on the shoulder. It resembled Scott, but it looked much younger.

" _As time went, the rivalry between Shoreline and Aurora continued to grow, and Shoreline's actions began to truly scare me, to the point where I feared that her hatred would lead her to hurt Aurora's baby. So when you were born, Starlight, I secretly cast a spell that created a link between my mind and yours. A link that would allow me to see through your eyes, hear through your ears and communicate with you telepathically. That way, I would ensure your safety_. _And on top of that, we hadn't told Shoreline what your name was, not that we had time to..._ "

The projection showed Aurora carrying a baby and showing it to Centaria.

" _Things only got worse from there. Shoreline learned that I was connected to this land, and she wanted to know if she could use that connection to harness the magic of Jinjabannera. When I refused to answer her, she saw red_."

Shoreline was then shown rushing out of the castle in rage and leaving Centaria behind.

" _Apparently, Shoreline had learned dark magic, and one night she ambushed me and used a dark spell to turn me into stone in a rush of anger. That spell didn't work like the Elements of Harmony; it was going to but me into a coma and make me unable to feel anything. But luckily, I managed to defend myself just in time, thus keeping my consciousness._ "

Shoreline was then shown standing in front of Centaria's statue, her face distorted in anger. "You stay here, and I'll figure out later how to use your connection with this land!" she hissed, turning away from the statue. "But right now, I have to deal with a certain unicorn." Her lips forming a wicked grin, she started out the castle, effortlessly defeating any guard that would dare to stand in her way.

The projection then showed Aurora and Scott rushing inside the mansion, with Starlight in Aurora's magic grasp and wrapped in a blanket, while Shoreline caused Centaria's castle more and more damage as she fought the guards.

"What are we going to do?" Scott—in the projection—asked.

"We must face her," Aurora replied, bumping her forelegs against each other, a confident frown on her face. "That witch needs a hard kick in the flank, and I'll be happy to deliver it to her! But first, we must put Starlight somewhere safe."

Aurora then proceeded to open a portal in the mansion's hall. On the other side of the portal, there was a town full of small houses.

"What is this?" Scott inquired, inspecting the portal up close.

"It's a portal to Equestria. A secret exit I created," Aurora replied, quickly stepping into the other side of the portal. "Come on, we don't have much time."

Scott and Aurora trotted up to one of the buildings, making sure that no one was there to see them. It was late at night, so the streets were empty. When they reached the building, Scott realized that it was an orphanage.

"An orphanage?! Aurora, what's wrong?" Scott widened his eyes.

"Don't worry, we'll defeat Shoreline and come back here to get my daughter," Aurora said, keeping her head high. She then turned her face away from Scott and muttered, "Hopefully."

Aurora placed Starlight at the orphanage's doorstep, and as she did so, the baby cooed and placed her tiny foreleg on her mother's nose. Tears formed in Aurora's eyes as she stared at her daughter, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Don't worry, Starlight, I'll come back for you," Aurora said, caressing her baby's mane. She then leaned closer as she continued to speak. "But if I don't, then _you_ come back for me. Grow up, get strong, make friends along the way, then come back to your kingdom." With a last kiss on the forehead, she wiped her tears and left Starlight on the doorstep, failing to notice that Starlight's blanket had 'Starlight Glimmer' written on it, before trotting back to the portal to Jinjabannera along with Scott. Starlight began to cry for her mother, louder and louder, but Aurora had already disappeared.

The projection fizzled out, letting silence fill the room, save for the sound of sniffles.

"My...my parents…" Starlight said, struggling against her stream of tears. "They actually cared about me! I...I…"

Sunburst quickly took Starlight in a tight hug, allowing her to sob into his chest as he let out tears of his own.

Trixie and Scott were crying as well, and Trixie used Sunburst's cape to clean her nose.

Sunburst snapped his cape from her, frowning and muttering, "Use your own cape!"

"I remember everything now," Scott said, rubbing his head. His fur suddenly seemed to become brighter than before. "When I realized that I couldn't defeat Shoreline, I used a spell on myself to erase my memory, to make sure that Shoreline couldn't know where we had hidden you no matter how much she interrogated me."

"W-What happened to my mother?" Starlight inquired, sniffling.

"I...I don't know," Scott stuttered. "Shoreline had blasted me out of the castle before she defeated Aurora. I have no idea what did she do to her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Starlight."

In response, Starlight broke the embrace and started towards the stairs with strong steps that sounded like they would break the floor. "She's so dead!" she hissed, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Whoa, hold on there!" Sunburst said, placing a hoof on Starlight's shoulder to stop her progress.

"Where the hay you think you're going?!" Trixie said, copying what Sunburst had done. But Starlight kept pushing.

"Let me go!" Starlight exclaimed.

" _Calm down, Starlight_."

Starlight turned to Centaria's statue, wiping her tears. "Do you even know what did Shoreline's actions cause?! Do you know what happened to me because of her?!" She raised her voice, her body shaking in rage. "When I was a filly I had no parents, no pony to guide me or stand with me in my time of need, so I blamed Cutie Marks for stealing my only friend. When I grew up I started a cult of equality, and then I spent the rest of my life stealing Cutie Marks. I lost my _whole life_ because of her!"

" _Yes, I know. I saw everything through you, remember_?"

"Then why didn't you communicate with me?!" Starlight inquired loudly, more tears streaming down.

" _Shoreline's spell damaged my ability to communicate with you telepathically, but only lately the spell grew weak enough for me to contact you in your dreams from this great distance_."

Starlight gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut.

" _Letting anger control you will do more damage to you than it will to Shoreline. And revenge can't undo the past. I thought you've already learned that lesson, Starlight_."

Starlight stomped her foreleg down forcefully, causing the ground underneath it to crack. She lowered her head, exhaling and inhaling slowly until her rage subsided, her breathing returning to normal.

" _You are a better pony than you give yourself credit, Starlight. You value friends more than anything else, to the point where losing Sunburst caused you so much damage. But I was so disappointed to see you drifting in the wrong way. It seemed like all hope was lost back then. You can only imagine how happy I was when Princess Twilight Sparkle took you under her wing. Since then, you've come a long way in learning about friendship and magic. You've become as good of a student as, if not better than, your mother. Perhaps Princess Twilight is a better teacher than me? Who knows?_ " Centaria finished her sentence with a faint chuckle, allowing a tiny smile to appear on Starlight's face.

"We can only guess," Starlight muttered.

"So...why didn't Princess Luna notice your dreams, Starlight?" Trixie asked.

" _I'm not sure, but it's most likely because_ _Princess Luna is very busy at night time, and those dreams were too weak and short_."

"It doesn't matter now," Starlight interrupted, wiping the rest of her tears. "We need to make a plan. Is their anyway to free you or stop Shoreline's weapon?"

" _Yes, there is a way. It's a secret weapon, a last resort for situations like this._ "

"Please tell us quickly," Sunburst said.

" _It's called the Cocoon of Liberation. East to this castle, you'll find something that looks like a gravestone. Using a certain spell will reveal the Cocoon. Bring it to me and I'll show you how to use it. Take the spell, Starlight._ "

As Centaria finished her statement, she showed the spell to Starlight telepathically. _Educant interiorem daemonia_ , Starlight repeated the spell in her mind, but for some reason she didn't like how it sounded.

" _Be careful. Aquiring the Cocoon isn't easy at all. But I believe that you're strong enough to beat the obstacle that will face you there._ "

Starlight hesitated for a moment, dropping her ears. But she quickly took a deep breath and regained her posture. "I'll try my best. For you, for my mother, and for all of Jinjabannera!"

"That's the spirit!" Trixie cheered, wrapping a hoof around Starlight's shoulder.

"Guys, I don't want to interrupt, but we should go back to the mansion quickly," Scott said worriedly. "If Shoeline notices our absence, we'll be in so much trouble!"

As soon as Scott said that, everyone rushed towards the stairs.

" _Remember, Starlight_ ," Centaria called, making Starlight slow down to hear her. " _Trust your friends, and don't let your past slow you down_."

With a confident frown, Starlight nodded, before hurrying after her friends, and with her disappeared the magical speaker from beside Centaria.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm starting to remember my experience in magic," Scott Free said, as he, Starlight, Trixie and Sunburst galloped back to the mansion. "But my memory is still a little shaky...I don't know if I can remember everything."

"Here, take this," Sunburst said, pulling a group of folded scrolls from under his cape and levitating it towards Scott. "These spells are fairly useful. Read them and see what you can remember."

"Really? Thanks!" Scott beamed, eagerly taking the scrolls in his magic grasp.

"Why do you always keep these things with you?" Trixie wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow at the crystaller.

"Because we may need them, just like now?" Sunburst replied, smirking.

"Guys, look!" Starlight said as they arrived at the mansion, pointing at one of the windows. An orange light was visible, and it was moving towards Starlight's, Sunburst's and Trixie's room. "We have to hurry!"

"I'll enter the mansion from another window and see if they've noticed my absence yet," Scott said, before leaving the trio of unicorns and heading to the other side of the mansion, while Starlight quickly levitated herself and her two friends back to their room.

"I'll bring the Cocoon tonight, Scott. Be ready," Starlight informed, before disappearing behind the window.

Cinnamon Rolls engulfed the door's handle in her magic aura, slowly swinging it open, making sure to not make any noise. She peeked through the small gap she had created, and saw two bundles on the bed, covered in blankets. Curious where the third "bundle" was, she swung the door a little further until it hit something. She looked down, only to find Trixie lying on the floor in a weird position and snoring.

 _If this one is on the floor, then…_ , Cinnamon thought, shaking her head and groaning. _Ugh, whatever!_ With that, she closed the door gently and trotted down the hall.

As soon as her hoofsteps' sound became low, Starlight and Sunburst threw the blankets off of them and sat up in the bed, sighing in relief.

"Trixie, why did you insist on me and Sunburst sleeping on the bed?!" Starlight asked, her cheeks tainting red.

"Simple: it distracted Cinnamon Rolls and made her feel embarrassed, which made her leave quickly. My weird position also helped," Trixie answered with a smirk, standing up. "Besides, I think—"

"Okay okay, I get it. Let's focus on the matter at hoof," Sunburst interrupted, stepping off the bed. "Starlight?"

"Yes, I...I'll go bring the cocoon," Starlight said nervously, trotting up to the window and placing a foreleg on its frame. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she let out a long, shaky sigh.

Exchanging looks with Trixie, Sunburst spoke, "Starlight, what's wrong?"

"Why...why does this keep happening to me?! Why am I given the responsibility to save the world again?!" Starlight raised her voice slightly, trying her best not to let the witches hear her. "Everypony is depending on me. What if I fail them? And worst of all, I have to go bring some mysterious cocoon and face who knows what! I'm still tempted to just go and zap Shoreline out of existence and end this whole thing!" She lit her horn, starting her way to the door.

"Easy there!" Sunburst placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder to stop her. "We've already talked about this."

"I know, but…," Starlight sighed.. "...Sunburst, you told me that life would give me opportunities and it would be up to me whether to take them or not. I get to choose what I want to be, right?"

"Yes, it's up to you whether to take the opportunities or not," Sunburst replied firmly, adjusting his glasses. "But in the end you have to ask yourself: did you make the right decision? You were a hero when you saved everyone from Chrysalis, will you still feel like a hero if you go and fight Shoreline recklessly and let your anger control you, and possibly dooming us all?"

"Well it's not like I saved everyone _alone_! And I still failed to reform Chrysalis. I started something good for once but I failed to finish it. And because of that, Chrysalis is still out there seeking revenge on me! Back then everypony was safe, but if I fail this time, we may all be doomed!"

"You weren't alone when you defeated Chrysalis, and you aren't alone now, either," Trixie interrupted, a reassuring smile on her face. "We are here with you. As for Chrysalis, well, life gave her an opportunity and she didn't take it. It wasn't your fault."

Starlight sighed, hanging her head down. "This whole situation is a mistake. Twilight should be in my place now. She would know how to solve everything, she always knows how to save the day."

"Well, Twilight isn't here now—" Trixie said, then moved her head closer to Sunburst and whispered a "and I'm not really complaining", before turning to Starlight again. "—so are you going to wait for her to come, or are you going to step up and do what it takes just like when we dethroned Chrysalis together?!"

Starlight stared at Trixie's wide, confident smile for a moment, letting her words sink in. Finally, she took a deep breath, holding her head high. "You know what? You're right! Maybe I don't like being a hero...yet, and it is very possible for me to fail, but I will definitely fail if I _don't_ try!"

"Exactly!" Trixie cheered, throwing her hoof in the air.

"Centaria was right, Starlight," Sunburst spoke. "You're a better pony than you give yourself credit, and you're being incredibly harsh on yourself, but...but um...," he stuttered, rubbing his chin.

"But what?" Starlight raised an eyebrow.

"Dang it, I forgot what I wanted to say!" Sunburst snapped, punching the air in frustration. "I should really study those speeches Princess Cadance gave me better!"

Both Starlight and Trixie face hoofed, making Sunburst turn red.

"It's okay, Sunburst," Starlight beamed, patting Sunburst on the shoulder. "I get what you wanted to say. Plus, I wouldn't want you to pull a Twilight on me." She punctuated her sentence by giving Sunburst a light bump on his shoulder. "Now if you would excuse me, I have a cocoon to acquire." With that, she trotted back to the window and opened it.

"If anything happens, we'll keep the witches busy," Sunburst reassured.

Starlight placed both forelegs on the window's frame, taking a deep breath as she prepared to leave. She turned around at the last moment, the fleeting nervous expression returning to her face. "Sunburst...if-if this is the last time we see each other, just know that—"

"This won't be the last time we see each other!" Sunburst interrupted, placing a hoof on Starlight's cheek and locking his eyes with hers. Time seemed to slow down as he stared at her uncertain turquoise eyes, hoping he could manage to make her retrieve her confident smile. "I trust you, and you should trust us."

After what felt like it eternity, Starlight gave a teary smile, allowing Sunburst to take a sigh of relief knowing that he succeeded. And without saying any more words, the purple unicorn engulfed herself in magic and jumped out the window.

Sunburst let out a long sigh, as he slowly closed the window. A moment of awkward silence passed before he turned around, only to find a smiling-from-ear-to-ear Trixie. She gave a faint squeal, which faintly made Sunburst blush.

"D-don't think too hard about it," Sunburst said, trotting up to the room's door. Carefully, he opened it, making sure to not cause any noise.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Trixie asked, reducing her voice to whispers now that the door was open.

"Improvising," he replied, gulping, before taking one step outside the room.

"What the hay?!"

"Look, I must find Shoreline's weapon and destroy it," Sunburst explained. "Yes, I know Starlight is on her way to get the cocoon, but we don't know what Shoreline might do, and she may go and use the weapon if she find out what Starlight was doing. Besides, even if Starlight succeeds, the existence of that weapon is still dangerous."

"What if you blow our cover?"

"Don't worry. If I find the mission impossible, I'll stop and come back."

"Well, if you insist…," Trixie said, stepping away from the door. "I'm waiting here if anything goes wrong."

"Good." With that, Sunburst left the room, closing the door behind him as carefully as he had opened it.

Sunburst lit his horn with a faint flame, just enough for him to see his steps without alerting anyone who might be nearby. He arrived at the door of the room he had listened to the witches talking in earlier, but before he could step close to it, he heard hoofsteps coming closer and immediately hid behind a stand and extinguished his horn's flame, the sheer darkness in the hallway making him almost impossible to see.

Shoreline finally stepped near the door, wearing a white bath cloth, her mane and coat dripping-wet. "Cloudy Night!" she called. "Where did you put my favorite shampoo?" No one answered. "Cloudy! My mane needs that shampoo terribly. Don't get yourself grounded!"

"Ugh, it's in the kitchen, mom!" Cloudy Night's voice came from upstairs.

"Oh...wait, why the hay did you put a shampoo bottle in the kitchen?!"

"Umm...reasons?"

Shoreline groaned. She turned around and faced a door that was a few feet away from the one that Sunburst had tried to open. "What? Why is the basement's door not locked?! Those stupid fillies!" She made her way to a stand nearby and pulled open one of its drawers, pulling a key out of it. She then proceeded to lock the padlock on the basement's door. Finally, she put the key back in its place and went back the way she had come from.

When Shoreline disappeared, Sunburst let out a breath he had been holding. He stepped out of his hiding and was about to head to the door, but then he shifted his way to the stand where Shoreline had hid the key. Making a double take, he opened the drawer and retrieved the key, then made his way to the basement's door, carefully unlocking it.

Sunburst's curious mind overcame him _._ He swung the door slightly open and eyed the interior. before opening the door completely. He found himself standing at the top of a long staircase, with light bulbs on the walls on the stairs' sides, though the bottom of the staircase was covered in darkness. Taking a last look around him, Sunburst stepped inside and swung the door back to its previous position. He started down the staircase, trying his best to not let the wood underneath make any loud noise.

" _HHHHH!_ "

Sunburst gulped, frozen in his place upon hearing the blood-curdling sound when he was only a few steps away from the sheer darkness at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes wide open. A shiver ran down his spine and he felt his body going cold upon what he saw afterwards.

Something started to crawl up the stairs. It was pitch black, making it look as if the darkness had sprouted two limbs and placed them at the stairs. The creature continued to hiss, getting louder and louder. Sunburst finally managed to get his body to respond and take a step backwards, but just as he did so, the creature leapt at him, pinning him down.

" _Food!_ " the creature hissed in a sickening tone.

"I don't think so!" Sunburst managed to aim upwards and shoot a small fireball, striking the creature in the face.

" _Agh!_ "The spooky being retreated, letting out a short cry of pain.

Sunburst quickly jumped back to his hooves, his heart beating so fast he felt like it would burst out of his chest. He took several steps up the stairs, creating a safe distance between him and whatever was down in the basement. He noticed that the creature had a metal collar around its neck that was tied to a chain, obviously to leash it. Then his eyes adjusted to the sight as they reached the creature's face…

"C...Chrysalis?!" Sunburst almost yelled, utter shock all over his face upon seeing the Ex-Queen of the Changelings herself leashed like a wild critter.

"Chrysalis!" Shoreline's voice came from upstairs in a sarcastic sing-song tone. "Stay quiet, please. We have guests and they are sleeping now. Don't make me silence you myself."

Chrysalis gritted her teeth, groaning. She was doing her best to keep her angry roar inside, so much that her face looked as if it would explode.

Once it was clear that no one was coming to check for the noise, Chrysalis spoke. "You? What the hay are you doing here?!"

"I was about to ask you the same question," Sunburst replied, scowling, trying his best not to look scared. "How did the dethroned queen of the bugs end up like...this?"

"Watch your tongue, vermin!" Chrysalis snapped back.

"Hush, don't want Shoreline to come over, do we?" Sunburst said sarcastically.

"You will pay for this!" Chrysalis growled in anger.

"Yeah, considering your centuries-long life, I'm sure this is at least the millionth time you've said this to somepony and failed."

Chrysalis groaned. "What, you came all the way to this place just to make fun of me?!"

"Nah," Sunburst replied. "It's a long story. In short, Starlight found out about this place and we came to solve whatever problem it might be suffering, and surprise surprise, we found that Shoreline was the biggest problem around here!"

"So Starlight Glimmer is here, huh?" Chrysalis paced, a wicked smirk forming on her lips.

"Don't even think about it!" Sunburst threatened, igniting his horn.

"Easy, big boy. It's not like I can do anything now." Chrysalis grabbed the chain and raised it to show it to Sunburst. "This thing around my neck is enchanted. It weakens my magic significantly."

"I told you why I came here. Now tell me your story," Sunburst demanded.

Chrysalis sighed. "After I...flew away—"

"Escaped," Sunburst corrected.

"Shut up and listen!" Chrysalis snarled. "So I flew away not even knowing where I was heading, and I stumbled upon this place. I found Shoreline Whisper and her daughters, but I had no idea that Unicorns had a magic boost here so…,"

"So of course you tried to feed on them," Sunburst stated a matter of fact, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, you can see clearly how that ended." Chrysalis threw the chain in the air again.

"How come Scott Free never told us about this?"

"As I remember, he was at the other side of Jinjabannera when that happened, and Shoreline and her daughters never told him about me."

"Well, good to know that you're contained here away from Equestria." Sunburst turned around, about to start up the stairs. "Now excuse me, I have a weapon to steal."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Do you think it's that easy?" Chrysalis chuckled.

"Of course?" Sunburst replied, his face giving away the fact that he was unsure. "Starlight is on her way to get the Cocoon of Liberation, this will end tonight." He took a step up the stairs.

"The Cocoon is useless right now!"

Sunburst stopped, turning to face Chrysalis again. "You know about it?"

"I told you it wasn't that easy! You think just because you sport big glasses and a fancy cape it means you're smart? Hah!"

"Enlighten me." He replied flatly.

"Shoreline didn't keep me here without a reason. She forced me to help her create the necklace, which is her weapon, since she had been struggling with its creation for so long. She knew about the Cocoon but didn't know how to acquire it. She placed a curse on the necklace...an enchantment linked to the Cocoon's location. As long as that curse is on the weapon, the Cocoon cannot be used. Not only that, but direct contact between anypony and the Cocoon will result in it exploding, and the one touching it will obviously get…" Chrysalis placed a foreleg on her neck and made a slow slashing motion, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes backwards.

Sunburst's eyes widened in shock, a drop of sweat running down his forehead. He suddenly felt his heart beating faster. "You're lying!"

"Keep telling yourself that until your precious friend meets her doom, and your whole plan to save the day fails miserably."

Sunburst gritted his teeth, hanging his head down.

"Don't think too hard about it, foal. You have to release me. You need my help. I helped Shoreline and I know how to disable the curse." She stood tall, looking more like a queen than ever. At the same time, her stance was casual- she knew she had him.

"N-No!" Sunburst snapped. "You're a threat to all of Equestria!"

"And so is Shoreline. Equestria is doomed anyway, whether it's me or Shoreline who does it. At least if you release me, Equestria's doom will be delayed, and Starlight Glimmer will unfortunately get to see another sunrise." Chrysalis grinned wickedly, enjoying how she had destroyed the unicorn's confidence.

Sunburst grunted, thinking about the limited choices he had, but he knew deep inside that there was no other way.

"Tick tock, Mister Crystaller! You don't have much time!" Chrysalis teased.

Sunburst let out a short growl, shooting a beam of fire. Chrysalis closed her eyes, before hearing the sound of metal hitting the floor. She looked down to find that it was the collar, now broken and lying on the ground.

"Finally, I'm free!" Chrysalis cheered in triumph.

"Yes, you are, but..." Sunburst said, before trotting down to Chrysalis and holding her by the shoulders. "But if you even touch a fur from Starlight or try anything fishy, just know that you're surrounded by magically enhanced unicorns." He punctuated his sentence by lighting his horn up, pushing Chrysalis against the wall.

"Hold your horses, tough guy," Chrysalis said calmly, dusting her shoulders. "Right now I'm much more interested in taking down Shoreline than I am in hurting you pathetic marefriend."

"She's...not...my…" Sunburst stuttered, tempted to shout at the arrogant queen.

"Yeah yeah, say whatever you want." Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "I think you're forgetting that I'm a Changeling and I know love energy when I see it." A childish grin crossed her face.

Sunburst placed a hoof on Chrysalis' shoulder, scowling. "Save the chit chat for later! You have a weapon to disable."

"Follow me," Chrysalis sighed, trotting up the stairs with Sunburst following suit.

As soon as the two reached the top of the staircase, Chrysalis forced Sunburst to stay behind the door and almost closed it.

"What are you doing?!" Sunburst asked, trying to push the door open.

"Just wait there for a moment, would you?!" Chrysalis replied, before switching her appearance to Shoreline's.

A moment later, Cinnamon Rolls emerged from one of the nearby hallway.

"Oh, mom? You're done from the bathroom already?" Cinnamon asked, rubbing her drowsy eyes.

"Of course!" the disguised queen said, smiling. "What do you want now?"

"Uh, nothing. You know how I get this sudden hunger at night." Cinnamon trotted past Chrysalis. "I'll just get a snack."

"Alright, but don't eat everything in the kitchen like you did last week!" Chrysalis called with a smirk.

"Ugh, you'll never let me live it down, will you?!" Cinnamon muttered, before making her way to the kitchen.

When she was gone, Sunburst finally emerged from behind the basement's door. "I see you've done your homework regarding this family," he said, flashing Chrysalis an almost-admiring smile.

"I always do my homework," Chrysalis chuckled, holding her nose in the air.

"Of course, that's why your plans always work," Sunburst muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I heard that!"

"You were _supposed_ to hear it!"

"You're actually making me consider giving up on taking Shoreline down and take _you_ down instead." Chrysalis made her way to the door next to the basement's, followed by Sunburst. She opened it slowly, revealing a long table, a group of chairs and a great closet with multiple doors.

Sunburst hid behind the open door just in case, while Chrysalis proceeded to the closet. One of the doors had a complicated lock on it. She engulfed it with her magic, and it was open in only a few seconds. She pulled out a black box from inside and opened it, revealing an oversized, grey, embellished necklace, its center consisting of a small white oval shape with bat-like wings.

"You know, I have to admit that your...'camouflage' is impressive," suddenly, Shoreline's voice came from the door. Chrysalis closed her eyes and turned around slowly, inhaling deeply. "But no matter what you do, you can't replicate my beautiful mane." She took the towel off her head, letting her mane wave in the air.

Chrysalis face hoofed, letting out a long groan of annoyance. "You mean I can't replicate how _annoying_ you are. Here, this form is much better," she said, switching back to her original appearance.

Shoreline chuckled. "What baffles me the most is how you managed to escape."

"Oh, I got help from one of my enemy's' friend. Starlight Glimmer to be precise."

Sunburst facehoofed whispering a "No!"

"Wait, Starlight... _Glimmer_?!" Shoreline widened her eyes, gritting her teeth as realization hit her. "I knew it! I knew she looked familiar! She had her mother's eyes, her magic, and she was as pathetic as her!"

"Well, I agree that she's pathetic," Chrysalis said, levitating the necklace out of its box. "But unfortunately, I made a truce, and now my primary objective is to destroy this toy of yours."

Shoreline charged her horn with dark magic, creating a black tentacle that stretched towards Chrysalis in flash speed and grabbed her by the neck. "I was planning to release you after testing the weapon," she growled, her eyes starting to tint crimson. "But you have proven to be much more _bugging_ than I had expected!"

"Y-Your jokes are bad and you should feel bad!" Chrysalis shouted, slicing the tentacle with a magic beam.

Shoreline reacted quickly, striking Chrysalis in the face with another tentacle then using it to retrieve the necklace, placing it on her neck.

"Hey!"

Before Shoreline could react, she was struck on the side by a fireball, making her roll on the ground only once.

"Nice try." Shoreline smirked. "But it takes more than cheap fireworks to hurt me. Now look how you ruined mane! I've just finished my bath!" She used a dark tentacle to strike Sunburst on the side so forcefully, sending him flying through the wooden wall and into the hallway.

"Whisper!"

Shoreline turned back to Chrysalis, only to find a gigantic table flying straight into her face. The table sent her out of the room, digging a hole in the hallway's wall with her.

Chrysalis rushed out of the room, pushing Sunburst to stand up. "Get up, vermin, we barely started!" she teased.

"I'm fine!" Sunburst said through his teeth, standing up and pushing Chrysalis' hoof off him.

"Hey!" Sunburst and Chrysalis heard a voice calling, and soon Scott Free appeared. "What happened? Did Starlight get the cocoon?" he said, before his eyes met Chrysalis. "Whoa! What is that?!"

Before Chrysalis could speak, Sunburst answered. "This is the 'dreadful thing' that has been residing in the basement."

"Wait, you are the...pffft!" Scott let out a short laugh.

"I don't think we told you a joke," Chrysalis deadpanned.

"Not really, but I expected something...well, scarier. _Way_ scarier," Scott chuckled. "My silly imagination!"

One of Chrysalis' eyes began to twitch in anger. "SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO I AM!"

-oOo-

Starlight finally arrived at the location Centaria had described: a gravestone. Well, not an actual gravestone if this was indeed what Starlight was looking for. She had brought her saddle bag from Trixie's carriage, which contained a bottle of water, just in case

 _This must be it,_ she thought, trotting up to the stone. _A gravestone in the middle of nowhere_. The thing was covered in weeds and snow. She stretched a foreleg and cleaned the stone as much as she could, then squinted her eyes to read the text written on it:

 _You will not make it._

"What?!" Starlight exclaimed, rubbing her eyes clear before taking a second look. She sighed in relief when she found nothing of what she thought she had read, only some scribbles in a language she didn't understand. _Phew! Dang it, I must keep it together!_ _I kinda need my sanity to save the day_ , she thought, rubbing her temples.

Starlight took a step back. Taking a deep breath, she lit her horn and aimed for the stone. " _Educant interiorem daemonia_ ", as she recited the spell, the earth underneath her began to shake, then the stone retracted to under the ground and a building rose in it's place. It was a short, wide, circular stone structure, almost like an arena, and it had many small windows. When it was fully emerged, it opened a gate in front of Starlight.

"Oh...kay then," Starlight said as her shock subsided. Hesitantly, she stepped into the building . There were many pillars and rocks inside, and right in the center was a stone table with a white object placed on it. Starlight squinted her eyes from afar and noticed that the object was a cocoon.

"This must be it!" Starlight perked up, trotting towards the cocoon. Her happiness was toned down slightly as she remembered what Centaria had told her. "I wonder what 'obstacle' Centaria was talking about. I see nothing here."

" _In sameness, there is peace. Exceptionalism is a lie._ "

Starlight froze in her place, afraid of even looking back. It was _her own voice_ , but it sounded different, as if it was coming from a speaker. Gulping, Starlight finally worked up the courage to look back. There were four speakers placed at the entrance of the building, even though she could swear she hadn't seen them when she had entered.

" _Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose equality as your special talent._ "

" _Be your best by never being your best._ "

"No...no, no, no!" Starlight trotted backward, ears folded back to try and block the sound, as the speakers continued to play the sentences she had created herself. She kept trotting back until she hit something. Startled, she jumped away, dropping her jaw in shock at what she saw, or _who_ she saw.

Standing there was Starlight herself, but her mane was different, her Cutie Mark had been replaced with an equal mark, and she was carrying the Staff of Sameness with her magic.

"No, you're not real! You _can't_ be real!" Starlight yelled at her copy.

"Oh yeah?" Starlight's copy said in a wicked tone. A magic blade emerged between the Staff's branches, before the 'evil' Starlight swung it in Starlight's direction.

Starlight dodged her copy's attack, but the clone quickly swung the blade again. Starlight felt a sharp pain in her ear and took several steps away, letting out a loud yelp. She looked up and rubbed her left ear in pain, widening her eyes at the sight of a deep cut in it.

"You still think I'm not real?" the copy asked, smirking.

Starlight glared, igniting her horn. She charged forward and fired a beam, which the copy avoided, swinging her blade again. Starlight conjured a magic shield and blocked the attack, then used the shield to deflect the blade and strike the copy in the face, knocking her to the ground.

"It doesn't have to end this way, Starlight," the copy said, as she and Starlight circled each other. "Why did you abandon your equality project? We were so close to achieving true friendship for all of Equestria! But you easily gave in for that deceptive Twilight Sparkle!" The copy spat Twilight's name.

"No, I wasn't close; I was wrong! I was wrong my whole life! And what I was seeking wasn't friendship; I was a seeking a disaster!" Starlight replied taut, firing another beam at the copy, which she barely managed to block with her blade.

"Were you?" the copy asked, her grin widening.

Starlight's eyes widened, shaking her head. "Your game is not working! I will defeat you and take the Cocoon, and it will be the last time I ever see you!" She charged at the copy, conjuring a sword of magic.

"Keep telling yourself that!" the clone said, preparing her blade for the duel.

-oOo-

A red beam of magic cut through the large table stabbed into the wall, and Shoreline jumped from the hole she had been buried in, almost no damage visible on her.

"So, Miss Glimmer is on her way to get the Cocoon of Liberation?" Shoreline asked with a wicked grin, slowly trotting to stand in front of Chrysalis, Sunburst and Scott. "I'm sure it will be very disappointing when that thing blows up in her face. Not for her; she won't feel anything, but the disappointment will be _yours_."

Sunburst gritted his teeth, rage building up inside him, until it broke out. "ENOUGH!" he lit his horn and swooped at Shoreline like a comet, leaving a trail of flame behind him and sending the two of them breaking through the mansion's main door. They landed at the snow outside, pushing away a group of Dragon Butterflies. The ball of two unicorns rolled on the ground twice, before Sunburst dug one hind leg into the snow and used the momentum to throw Shoreline at a rock nearby. The two then stood up, panting.

Shoreline's daughters came out of the mansion, rushing to their mother's side. Chrysalis and Scott soon followed Sunburst.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Cloudy asked, placing a foreleg on Shoreline's shoulder.

"What the hey is happening?!" Cinnamon exclaimed. "And why is the Big Bug free?"

"Hey!" Chrysalis snapped.

Shoreline faced Sunburst, eyes blazing with rage and horn alight, before releasing a powerful, continuous beam at the trio.

In the last moment, a blue figure stood in front of them, holding two purple, circular magic shields with six-pointed stars spinning inside them, using one of the shields to block Shoreline's attack.

"Trixie?!" Sunburst said in shock as Shoreline's attack faded. "What are—"

"Improvising!" Trixie interrupted, before throwing one of her shields at Shoreline with all her might. The shield hit Shoreline square in the face and reflected upwards. The sand-colored mare only gained a small bruise under her left eye, and she was as angry as ever. "Oh come on! That's not fair! Are you an X-Mare or something?!"

Shoreline responded with a blast of magic, which the group in front of her barely managed to avoid. But when Trixie dodged, she found herself side to side with Chrysalis.

"Ah!" Trixie screamed, jumping to Sunburst side and hugging his foreleg. "I forgot to ask you: what is _she_ doing here?!"

"The blue vermin is here too?" Chrysalis groaned in annoyance.

"Don't worry, Trixie," Sunburst reassured. "She's on our side for now."

Cloudy Night charged at Scott, shooting a beam of blue magic. The magical deer dodged, using his magic to create a small, circular portal to his side, which Cloudy ran right into. An identical portal opened up right above Cinnamon Rolls, and Cloudy fell from it, colliding with her sister painfully.

"Ugh, see?" Cinnamon said, pushing her sister off her. "You're so fat that our enemies use you to try and smash me!"

"Says the mare who ate everything in the kitchen last week!" Cloudy shot back, dusting her grey coat.

"How was that possible?!" Shoreline asked Scott, her face showing shock. Did you—"

"Remember?" Scott completed the question. "Yes, I remember everything. And this time, I'm stronger"—he nodded towards the trio standing beside him—"and have friends."

The yellow mare huffed. "We're wasting our time here," she said to her daughters.

"Wait, where's the purple one?" Cinnamon asked as she counted her enemies, rubbing her chin.

"Turns out she's the long lost daughter of Glimmer," Shoreline answered, gaining a gasp from her daughters. "And now she's on her way to get the Cocoon of Liberation. But don't worry, she will fail, and we are going to use the weapon now."

"Are you sure, mom?" Cloudy whispered to her mother. "I thought you were supposed to do some final touches or something?"

"The weapon is fine!" Shoreline replied taut, facing the way to the castle. "We have to move _now_."

"I must go and stop Starlight before she touches the Cocoon!" Sunburst said to Trixie.

"Wait, why?" Trixie raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, and what did Shoreline mean when she said that the Cocoon would blow up in Starlight's face?" Scott added, causing Trixie to look at him with wide eyes.

"Chrysalis will explain to you. I must go now. Don't follow me, just try to slow down Shoreline!" With that, Sunburst galloped away.

Shoreline was about to leave when she saw Sunburst leaving his friends. She smirked, before giving out a whistle. "Boys! Take him down, please," she called.

The eyes of the spooky masks inside the castle glowed, then three of them floated away from the wall: one of a great phoenix, one of a bull, and one of a tiger. An aura of light formed magic-made bodies for the masks, before they rushed out of the mansion.

"I knew these things were evil!" Trixie exclaimed at the sight of the living masks, before attempting to go after Sunburst.

"Where do you think you're going?" Chrysalis blocked Trixie's way. She pointed at Shoreline and her daughters, who were on their way to the castle. "Do you want me and that deer thing to face three enhanced unicorns with no unicorns on our side?! " She smirked. "Looks like you won't be as useless as you appear."

"But...but..." Trixie hesitated, shaking her head between Chrysalis and the chased Sunburst.

"If Shoreline gets to the castle first, we're all doomed!" Chrysalis yelled. "Don't worry, your friend can handle those things."

"How do you know?" Trixie inquired harshly.

Chrysalis chuckled, her lips forming a smirk. "Because if there's one thing I've learned about love in my long life, it's that it takes more than living artifacts to stop it."

Trixie paused for a moment, staring in confusion at Chrysalis as the latter smiled in Sunburst's direction. For a moment, Trixie could swear that Chrysalis was smiling genuinely, but the queen quickly turned to her and scolded, "What are you waiting for?!"

"Okay okay! Just a moment." Trixie shook her head, teleporting to her carriage. She pulled out her saddle bag and placed it on her back, then teleported back to Chrysalis, rubbing her head. "Dang it! Even with a magic boost, I still have trouble teleporting."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Let's go already!" she yelled, before she, Trixie and Scott quickly took off after Shoreline.

Scott soon galloped to Trixie's side. "Jump on my back," he said.

"What?! Are you sure?" Trixie questioned.

"Trust me, I'm fast," Scott answered. "Plus, it will give you a great position to strike them."

Not wasting any more time, Trixie leaped to Scott's back. The deer then burst into a sprint, almost knocking Trixie off his back.

"Whoa! Easy!" Trixie yelled, holding on to Scott's neck. Though she was scared, she couldn't hide the excitement as the cold wind pushed against her face, making her cloak flap behind her.

Chrysalis was flying not so far above, shooting beams in Shoreline's way. The witches then moved close to each other, lighting up their horns.

"They're going to teleport!" Scott warned.

"Not under my watch!" Trixie exclaimed confidently. She balanced herself on her hind hooves, conjuring two circular shields in her forelegs. Aiming carefully, she launched one of the shields, striking Cinnamon Rolls on the back of her head and cancelling the teleportation. "Bingo!"

"Ow!" Cinnamon yelled in pain, almost tumbling forward.

Cloudy Night turned her head back and fired a beam, hitting the ground in Scott's way. The beam didn't cause an explosion, but instead created a huge icicle.

Reacting quickly, Scott fired a blast at the icicle and shattered it mere inches before the collision.

"Whoo! Nice one, brother!" Trixie cheered, cracking a big smile on Scott's face.

Cloudy glared, ready to fire again, but a green blast landing to her side distracted her. She quickly jumped to the side to avoid yet another one.

"You wretched bug!" Cloudy cursed,her face folded into an expression of rage.

Chrysalis lowered her altitude and flew close to Scott, still shooting at the witches. "You remind me of someone," she said.

"Really?" Scott raised an eyebrow.

"Yes: a horrible traitor who I hate more than death itself!"

Scott deadpanned. "That's funny, you remind me of something I love."

"Oh yeah?" Chrysalis said, eyes half-closed, an arrogant smile on her face.

"Yes: something called 'cheese'," Scott shot back.

"How dare you!" she hissed, her smile quickly replaced with a glare.

"Haha, try your best! Bugs are the last thing that can scare me," Scott chuckled.

"You will pay for this! You all will...one day," Chrysalis cursed under her breath, aware that that 'one day' wasn't soon, if it existed at all.

Sunburst heard the weird noise and turned his head back, and almost didn't believe what he saw. He was being chased by three creatures made of magical auras, and their faces were spooky masks he was sure he had seen the mansion. He quickly jumped to the side to avoid a blast of magic thrown by the phoenix. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his flank as he was thrown off balance and fell on the ground face first. The momentum of his speed made him roll, but he managed to stand up again, turning to face what had attacked him.

Standing there was the bull, kicking snow with its foreleg. Sunburst was quickly distracted by the tiger charging at him. As the tiger lunged, Sunburst rolled to the side and released a fire ball, striking the magical creature in the side. Sunburst didn't have time to celebrate his successful counter attack as the bull stomped its foreleg on his body, pinning him to the ground. He attempted to stand up, but the tiger came and placed a paw on his head, covering his horn. The phoenix then hovered close, preparing a blast to strike the helpless unicorn with.

Sunburst squirmed, but to no avail. The weight of the two monsters pushing against him was too painful. He faced the horizon in front of him, and could make out the sight of a small building.

"Starlight…I'm sorry," Sunburst muttered, closing his eyes as tears began to roll down his cheeks. He regretted that he had stopped Starlight from talking when she had wondered if that would be the last time they would see each other. _What a fool I was!_ He thought. _What do I know?! I couldn't see the future, yet I so arrogantly assumed that I would see her again. I'm sorry, Starlight, that was indeed the last time we see each other..._

 _We trust you, and you should trust us._ Remembering what he had said to Starlight, he opened his eyes wide, a newfound determination burning in them. He felt a sudden strength in his body, sudden rage, as if flames were blazing inside him—and for all he knew, there could _actually_ be flames inside him. "No…" he gritted his teeth, slowly lifting his head up. "No…" He then began to rise to his hooves, using all his might to push the two monsters' limbs upwards. "NO!"

The flame inside him finally broke out. A magical shock wave emitted from him, knocking the tiger and the bull several feet away. Sunburst's body glowed golden as if it was burning, and his mane and tail turned into flame.

"Congratulations, freaks! You managed to make me angry!" Sunburst yelled, standing on his hind legs. "Do even know how hard it is to make me angry? Now you know! Do you know what will happen to you because you made me angry? You willknow very soon!"

Terrified, the phoenix released its magic blast. Sunburst held his forelegs out, pushing against the big ball of magic. He groaned, the blast pushing him back several feet, before he used his forelegs to redirect the attack at the tiger. The monster didn't stand a chance, as the blast turned it to ash.

The phoenix widened it's eyes, gaping its beak in shock, something Sunburst didn't know was possible giving its solid face.

The bull charged at Sunburst, and the latter held it by its horns, slowing it down to a halt. As the bull continued pushing, Sunburst pulled one of his forelegs back, forming a dense fireball in it. The crystaller then released the ball into the bull's mouth, which caused it to explode instantly.

Clearing his vision of dust, Sunburst turned his attention to the phoenix, glaring fiercely. The phoenix didn't even bother; it waved its wings in defense and quickly flew back to the mansion.

Sunburst dropped on four hooves, taking greedy gasps of air. His fur turned back to normal and his mane and tail stopped burning. Surprisingly, his cloak and glasses hadn't been affected by the flames.

"Whoo," Sunburst let out a long sigh, his rage fading quickly. He still felt pain in his flank and his back was strained. "That was...something." He shook his head, before continuing his way to Starlight.

Starlight's magic sword clashed against her copy's blade one more time before it gave in, flying out of her magic grasp. The copy swung her blade again, but Starlight managed to strike her in the face with a zap of magic, forcing her to take several steps back.

Panting, Starlight took the chance and charged at her clone, shooting a great blast. The copy quickly rolled out of the attack's way, leaving the blast to create a crater on the floor, a floor that was now full of craters. The copy fired a beam, which Starlight countered with a magic shield, but the impact created a blinding light. The copy took advantage and tackled Starlight to the ground, bringing her blade down on her.

Starlight barely managed to hold the blade with her magic mere millimeters away from her face.

"It's over, Starlight," the copy hissed, an insane, devilish smile on her face.

"No!" Starlight groaned, struggling to hold the blade back. "That's enough!" Her horn blazed blindingly, creating a huge magical explosion, shooting a beam through the building's roof and destroying most of the structure's interior inside.

Sunburst saw the explosion as he drew near to the building, and his heart skipped a beat. "No…" he muttered, eyes wide in disbelief. "Am I...am I too late?!" he yelled, rushing towards his target.

Starlight slowly rose to her hooves, shaking her head clear of dust. "Boy was this crazy!" she said to herself, letting out a long breath. "All I needed to make this day complete was to beat the living tar out of myself...literally!" There was no sign of her copy, to which she felt relieved. She searched the place for the cocoon, and finally found it lying on the ground between the debris. "There you are! Now time to end this madness." She trotted up to it and stretched her foreleg to wipe the dust off the relic.

"STOP!"

Before Starlight could turn around to see the source of the shout, she was thrown into the ground. She was about to fight back, but a short glimpse made her recognize who had tackled her.

"Sunburst?! What the hay?!" Starlight exclaimed, pushing the crystaller off her and standing up.

"Starlight! You're alive!" Sunburst placed a foreleg on her cheek to make sure she was real, then wrapped his forelegs around her tightly.

"Yes...I am...why are you trying to kill me?!" Starlight choked out.

"Oh, um, sorry!" Sunburst let his friend go, his cheeks crimson. "What in Equestria happened in this place?"

Starlight sighed. "Long story, and it doesn't matter anymore."

"Are you serious? What about you ear? You look like you were in a battle!"

"You don't say!" Starlight deadpanned. "You still didn't explain why you are here, and why did you pin me to the ground?"

"Because the Cocoon would explode if you touch it."

"What?!"

"It's a...long story, too. I'll explain on the way; our cover was blown and Shoreline and her daughters are now heading to the castle to use the weapon!"

"Oh no!" Starlight placed a hoof on her head.

"I hope Scott, Trixie and Chrysalis managed to slow them down."

"Yeah—wait, CHRYSALIS?!" Starlight jerked her head back.

"Well...she's on our side now."

"You mean you managed to reform her?!" Starlight perked up.

"Not really. I told you it was a long story. Now come on, we have to hurry up. Carry the Cocoon with your magic, and _don't touch it_!"

Starlight obliged, engulfing the cocoon in her magic aura and tucking it into her saddle bag. As the two unicorns exited the building, they were met with three familiar, butterfly-like creatures.

"Hey, look who's here," Brick said, nudging Harvest. "Your 'angel'," he mocked, gaining a groan from the white Flutterbreeze.

"You guys are in a terrible state," the purple female Flutterbreeze said. "You need any help?"

"Thanks, but we're go—"

"Actually…" Starlight interrupted her friend, a new idea popping into her mind. "Yes, we need help!"

"Starlight?" Sunburst whispered, tilting his head. "How can _they_ help us?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan," she turned to face the Flutterbreezes. "We need your help in a dangerous mission to rid this land of the tyranny of Shoreline Whisper."

"Um, I'm not usually the one for adventure, but I'm ready to do this for you!" Harvest said, standing on Starlight's shoulder.

"Same thing with me, darling," the purple one said, winking at Sunburst, which gained her a death glare from Starlight. "By the way, you can call me Lavender."

"Eh, what's in it for me?" Brick asked, folding two upper limbs across his chest.

"Trixie is in danger, too?" Starlight replied, a cocky grin on her face.

Brick quickly locked his nose with Starlight's, yelling, "I'm game!"

"What are you doing, Starlight?" Sunburst wondered aloud. "Wait, don't say—"

"Improvising!" Starlight answered quickly.

"Damn it!"

A few minutes after the group of unicorns and Flutterbreezes left, a pile of debris inside the circular building shook, Starlight's copy emerging from underneath it, her coat dirty and her eyes radiating anger.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Chrysalis's scene in the basement _might_ be inspired by a scene in a certain video game...


	6. Chapter 6

Shoreline and her daughters finally arrived at the ruined castle, followed closely by Chrysalis, Scott and Trixie. The latter trio had managed to prevent the witches from teleporting all the way there. They had succeeded in slowing them down. But they were in the castle now, and there was still no sign of Starlight or Sunburst.

"See? You were only delaying the inevitable," Shoreline said, faking a pathetic look. "Now look at this cute little army of yours! What are you going to do?"

As if on cue, the remaining half of the castle's gate broke, and two unicorns tumbled inside.

"Our 'cute little army' has just become bigger!" Trixie beamed. _And cuter_.

With his eyes spinning, Sunburst stood up and rubbed his head, . "I warned you from using Accelero!"

"Did you have a better idea?" Starlight replied, dusting her coat. Brick and Harvest then jumped out of her mane, followed by Lavender jumping from under Sunburst's cape.

"This is the last time I take the Starlight Express!" Harvest said, heaving on the ground.

"Ugh, what's that ugly bug?" Brick asked in disgust, pointing at Chrysalis.

"Excuse me?" Chrysalis raised her eyebrow. "Aren't you a bug, too? At least I'm not microscopic!"

"At least I don't look like a net!"

Chrysalis sighed, muttering to herself, "This day is quickly climbing up the list of the worst days in my life."

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Miss Glimmer herself!" Shoreline said in a sarcastic tone. "I thought the Cocoon would 'blow you away'."

"Ugh!" Chrysalis groaned loudly. "Shoreline, look, please, do whatever horrible things you want to do with us, but PLEASE stop making these terrible jokes! It takes away so much of your intimidation factor. Do you know nothing about being a villain?!"

"I know something about being a villain: Stop what you're doing and redeem yourself while you can!" Trixie scolded as she scowled at Chrysalis.

"In your dreams!" Chrysalis snapped.

"This is it, Shoreline," Starlight said, glaring fiercely at the sand-colored unicorn. "You will pay for everything you've done, to me and to Jinjabannera."

"What do you know, she even speaks like her mother!" Shoreline laughed, mocking the purple unicorn.

Starlight gritted her teeth, tempted to take all her pain and wrath out on the witch who had cost her everything. "You find this funny?! Do you have any idea what your actions caused?!"

"Not really, and I couldn't care less," Shoreline replied, polishing the necklace on her neck. "No one here cares, actually; a few memory spells here and there was enough to make Jinjabannerans forget about Centaria and accept me as their ruler." She laughed. "You just don't understand what I'm trying to do, do you?"

"Here comes the monologue!" Chrysalis sighed, face hoofing.

"Look who's talking!" Trixie shot, but Chrysalis ignored her.

"Can't you see?" Shoreline continued. "Jinjabannera is full with powerful magic. And what do the Jinjabannerans do with it? Stupid things, such as fluttering by!" She pointed at the three Flutterbreezes.

"Hey, I do many other things than fluttering by!" Brick snapped.

"Ha, you're just jealous you can't flutter as majestically as we do," Lavender added, raising her nose in the air.

"And the rest of the population don't benefit from the magic." Shoreline paced. "But unicorns do! With this weapon I created—"

" _We_ created," Chrysalis interrupted calmly, scratching her temple. "And you still haven't paid me."

Shoreline gave a short sigh. "With this weapon, not only will I be able to harness the magic of Jinjabannera, but I'll also be able to keep the magical boost outside of this place! I was so frustrated when I discovered that the magic enhancement was limited to Jinjabannera. I mean, can you imagine?! I finally found a place that appreciates unicorns and then it forces us to stay in it?! But not anymore. With the necklace, I will lead the unicorns of Equestria to rule the world as the master race they are, and I will be considered a hero!"

"Wait wait wait wait...WHAT?!" Trixie exclaimed in utter disbelief, rubbing her head.

"You are insane!" Sunburst yelled.

"Maybe I am, but at least I'm better than the three pony tribes who founded Equestria, don't you think?" Shoreline responded. "They fought with each other then crowned two foreign creatures as their rulers because they were too dumb to rule the land themselves! Just think about it: Alicorns don't belong in Equestria, heck I doubt they're even ponies, yet we so stupidly accepted them as our rulers! At least when my plan is complete, ponies will rule ponies, instead of _aliens_ leading our lands! My weapon will make us stronger than any alicorn." She extended her foreleg. "We don't have to fight, my fellow unicorns. Join me, and then maybe I'll forget about your mother, Miss Glimmer. Together—"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Starlight exclaimed. Unable to contain her temper anymore, she released a powerful blast in Shoreline's direction.

Shoreline shielded herself with dark magic, the blast only pushing her a few feet back.

"I agree with my secondary enemy. Your monologue was very boring and too insane for my liking," Chrysalis yawned.

"Starlight, why did you bring the Flutterbreezes with you?" Trixie asked.

"Because they have six limbs—" Starlight answered, lighting her horn. "—and because my spell works on small creatures." She released the spell on the three Flutterbreezes, and within seconds they grew in size until they were almost as tall as the castle's wall. Their ears scraped the ceiling, and in loud and enormous glee, they found that even Shoreline was in shock.

"Holy Flutterbreezes!" Trixie awed.

"Yeah, bring it on, you tiny pests!" Brick mocked.

"Make it quick! The spell is temporary and I won't be able to cast it again," Starlight instructed, as she, Chrysalis and Scott galloped towards Shoreline, the latter making her way to the door that led to Centaria's statue.

"Cloudy, Cinnamon, let loose," Shoreline called with a smirk.

"So...we have to deal with these two?" Trixie asked, nudging Sunburst.

"Nothing to worry about, sweetie!" Brick assured. "Just look how big I am!"

Cinnamon laughed. "You're big, but are you _tough_?" She ignited her horn, making rocks and bricks float around. Green vines rose from under the ground, connecting the rocks around her. The mixture of plants and rocks formed a stone giant as big as the Flutterbreezes were now, with Cinnamon being in its chest.

"Uh oh," Brick said, folding his ears back.

Cinnamon charged at brick in her giant stone suit and swung her fist. Trixie quickly created a shield in front of Brick, blocking the attack, but the sheer force of the punch caused the shield to tremble.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Trixie gulped, a drop of sweat running down her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, witch!" Lavender said, attempting to stomp Cloudy with her hind limb.

Cloudy engulfed her body with snow, which turned into a cover of thick, hard ice. Lavender brought her limb down on her again and again, but to know avail. Cloudy giggled, mocking Lavender's attempts. Annoyed, the purple Flutterbreeze kicked Cloudy, sending her clean through a pillar.

"Not so funny now, huh?" Lavender chuckled.

Cloudy stood up, still maintaining the ice cover around her body. She released an ice blast at Lavender, but a fireball interrupted the attack mid-air. Before she could react, another fire ball hit her, melting away a small part of the armor on her shoulder, but she quickly recovered it.

"Interesting," Cloudy said, slowly approaching Sunburst. "Let's see for how long you can maintain your heat in this cold weather." She conjured three ice spears and launched them at Sunburst.

The crystaller dodged two spears and melted the third with a beam of fire, before quickly shielding himself with magic to counter another beam fired by Cloudy.

As Shoreline galloped towards the door, Harvest stomped a limb in her way.

"Not so quickly!" Harvest said, bringing an upper limb down towards the unicorn.

Shoreline dodged, striking the giant Flutterbreeze in the face with tentacle made of dark magic. Harvest stepped back and rubbed his face in pain, unaware of Shoreline charging her horn.

"Ah!" Shoreline yelled in pain upon something colliding with her side so forcefully it sent her rolling. She stood up, and saw Starlight charging her horn with another attack. This time, the blast was huge, and Shoreline used a shield to redirect it to somewhere behind her. The floor gave in to the blast, revealing the room where the books and Centaria's statue were kept.

Scott fired a beam, which Shoreline easily countered with a tentacle. She was then thrown off balance and into the ground as Chrysalis collided with her side. The queen resumed her assault by striking Shoreline with a green zap of magic.

"You little…!" Shoreline gritted her teeth, firing a beam of her own.

Scott stepped in the beam's way and conjured a portal, swallowing the attack. Another portal opened above Shoreline and released her attack on her.

"I'm really liking this trick," Chrysalis admitted with a nod.

Shoreline stood up and extended a tentacle into the portal above her, and it exited from the portal in front of Scott. The tentacle grabbed Scott by the neck and dragged him throw his own portals, before slamming him on the ground in front of Shoreline. Before she could hurt Scott any further, Harvest slapped her with an upper limb, slamming her on one of the castle's walls.

"I need to get close enough to that necklace quickly so I can disable the curse," Chrysalis whispered to herself.

"Chrysalis," Starlight trotted up to the changeling queen, barely making eye contact. "I know that I'm probably the last pony you wanna talk to, but please hear me up."

"Speak." Chrysalis rolled her eyes, before Starlight moved closer and whispered something in her ear.

Cinnamon aimed another punch at Brick, and the latter avoided it barely. Trixie then threw a shield at the giant's face, but it did little to no damage. Trixie was starting to get tired of it. Brick punched the giant square in the face, only to rub his fist in pain afterwards, barely causing a crack. Cinnamon chuckled, bringing her two fists together and attempting to slam them on the giant Flutterbreeze.

"That's it!" Trixie exclaimed, creating a giant magic shield around Brick and blocking the attack. She then made the shield explode outwards, sending Cinnamon's suit tumbling on its back. Trixie channeled more magic, creating an armor around Brick's body, then creating two big fists around his four upper limbs.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Brick cheered, punching his new fists against each other. As Cinnamon attempted to attack him again, he held her fists with two limbs and used the two spare limbs to punch the suit until it fell to its knees, then delivered one more punch to its face.

Cinnamon pushed Brick away and stepped back in an attempt to recover. Trixie took the opportunity to jump on Brick's shoulder and untied her saddle bag. When Cinnamon charged towards them again, Trixie threw her saddle bag at the suit's face, followed by a zap of magic. All the fireworks and smoke bombs inside the bag exploded, blinding Cinnamon.

"Now!" Trixie commanded, pointing a hoof forward.

Brick charged forward and punched the giant in the face, then again in the chest, pinning it to the wall. He then used his huge fist's to crack the suit's damaged chest open and extract Cinnamon from it.

"Here you are! Why are you so shy, kid?" Brick said sarcastically, using Cinnamon's tail to hang her on a pillar.

"Hey, put me down!" Cinnamon demanded loudly. "You will pay for this, you insignificant son of—"

Brick silenced Cinnamon by hitting her on the head with a finger, knocking her victorious Flutterbreeze high-fived Trixie, but his fist was so big and strong that he knocked her off his shoulder.

A blast of ice and a blast of fire met in the air and exploded, spreading icicles in front of Sunburst and flames in front of Cloudy. Sunburst was panting, while Cloudy still had much more stamina due to the ice protecting her.

Cloudy caught Lavender pulling her fist back, and fired a beam at it. An ice cube formed around Lavender's hoof, but she didn't give up, proceeding to slam her fist down on Cloudy. The attack caused several cracks on Cloudy's ice armor, and she began recovering them. Lavender's hoof was freed from the ice trap. Even from his viewpoint Sunburst could tell Lavender was in pain.

A huge fire ball threw Cloudy off balance. Sunburst lunged and slammed his burning forelegs down, only to hit the ground instead of Cloudy, creating a small crater and melting the snow nearby. Cloudy then punched Sunburst in the face with her ice-covered hoof, knocking him into the ground. Before Lavender could do anything, Cloudy froze her hind limbs to the ground, preventing her from moving.

"Cloudy, wait!" Shoreline yelled as she rushed to her daughter's side.

"What's wrong?" Cloudy raised an eyebrow.

Shoreline placed a hoof on Cloudy's shoulder, pausing to catch her breath. " _This_ is wrong!" she said before punching Cloudy in the face, creating a big crack in the armor. She continued with a green blast of magic, which broke a part of the armor on her face and sent her rolling on the ground.

"You can thank me later," Shoreline said as a green glow switched her appearance to Chrysalis'. She was given no time to celebrate, as a black tentacle wrapped around her neck and pulled her towards the real Shoreline.

As soon as Cloudy stood up, she was met with four limbs slamming on her from Lavender, who had freed herself from the ice. Lavender was about to kick Cloudy and send her out of the castle, but she suddenly shrunk back to her normal size.

"No!" Lavender yelled in frustration.

"Not so funny now, huh?" Cloudy said with a wicked grin, charging her horn, pieces of ice falling from her severely damaged armor.

"No, it's not!" Sunburst said, releasing a stream of fire at Cloudy. The mare shielded herself with her forelegs, but the armor was melting quickly, and the powerful attack was pushing her backward. When the stream stopped, Sunburst used his burning forelegs to strap Cloudy of what was left of her armor.

"No...no…" Cloudy pleaded, crawling back in horror until she met a wall. She squeezed her eyes shut as Sunburst pulled his foreleg back and thrusted it toward her. When she didn't feel any pain, she opened her eyes, gasping at the sight of the wall near her head. There was a hoof mark where the bricks were melting.

"This is over," Sunburst said, trotting away.

"So...hot…" Cloudy muttered, before passing out, her now broken glasses falling off.

Harvest grabbed a pillar and attempted to smash Shoreline with it, but the mare released a powerful beam that sliced most of it, leaving only a small portion of the pillar. Harvest then tried to hit Shoreline with what was left of his weapon, but the time for Starlight's spell was up and he shrunk back to normal.

"Oh, snap!"Harvest cursed under his breath.

"Hey, Shoreline!"

Shoreline turned to the source of the call and found Starlight standing in front of Centaria's statue.

"What do you think will happen if I destroy this statue?" Starlight threatened, charging her horn.

"You wouldn't dare!" Shoreline snapped, her wide eyes showing fear.

"Try me." Starlight faced the statue.

"NO!" Shoreline used the tentacles to lunge at Starlight, tackling her and pinning her to the floor.

Starlight chuckled devilishly, gaining a look of confusion from the witch. A green glow surrounded Starlight before her form shifted to Chrysalis.

"What?!" Shoreline yelled, realizing that she had fallen in a trap.

Chrysalis grabbed Shoreline by the neck and fired a beam at the necklace, before Shoreline grabbed her with a tentacle and slammed her on the ground several meters behind her. Chrysalis was laughing at the success of her trap, but her smile quickly faded when Shoreline charged her horn.

As soon as the blast was released, a purple blur snatched Chrysalis from harm's way. When the ex-queen opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with none other than Starlight.

"Wait, did you just…" Chrysalis asked. Her face read disbelief. "Why did you save me?"

Starlight sighed. "First, I still need you. Second, I'm better than you!"

"You wish." Chrysalis pushed her savior away. "I just disabled the curse. You can now use the Cocoon."

Starlight gave a faint smile, which was quickly replaced with narrowed eyes. "How can I be sure?"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, before pulling out the cocoon from Starlight's bag and touching it with her hoof. Starlight covered her face in defense, but nothing happend. "Are you happy now? Go!" Chrysalis yelled.

"Finally," Shoreline chuckled, approaching Centaria's statue. Before she could reach the monolith, a magical shield struck her in the head, and this time it was so strong that it made her fall on the ground. "What the hay!" She turned around just in time to block a huge fire ball.

Soon, Shoreline found herself surrounded. Chrysalis, Scott, Trixie, Sunburst and Starlight were all ready, approaching her with charged horns.

"Enough...I've had enough of this!" Shoreline bellowed in wrath. Her horn was overcharging with rage filled magic..

Trixie created a shield, but it was of no use as Shoreline grabbed her with a tentacle and launched her at Sunburst like a cannonball, slamming the two of them at a pillar. Scott and Chrysalis attempted to attack, but Shoreline whipped the deer with a tentacle and sent him flying away, before punching Chrysalis out of the room. Shoreline saw Starlight charging at her and fired an aura based missile.

"I've waited long enough!" Shoreline levitated the necklace off her neck. "Time to end this!" A thin zap of magic connected the necklace with Centaria, freeing her from the stone state. Centaria's colors became visible: she had a white body with thin blue embellishments, her eyes emerald-green. The necklace was making her weaker, as she bent forward and lowered her head until it was at Shoreline's height.

"Shoreline...stop," Centaria pleaded. "You don't know what you're doing."

"Yes, I do!" Shoreline said as the beam faded, the necklace now glowing crimson. She turned around and trotted out of the room, showing off the glowing necklace. "The true power of Jinjabannera, is now mine!"

As soon as Shoreline placed the necklace on her neck, a powerful shock wave emitted from her, an invisible force causing her to float. Dark fog surrounded her, leaving only the crimson glow of her eyes visible. When the fog subsided, the resulting scene left everyone gasping in horror.

Gone was the sand-colored unicorn. Instead there was a tall equine, even taller than Celestia, her body made of dark vines similar the tentacles Shoreline had been used, only these ones looked more sickening, their brown color so dark it was almost black. Her horn was now much taller, her eyes were simply black orbs with two red dots in the center, no sign of any emotion, and her mane and tail were replaced by flowing tentacles. The air felt heavy and everything seemed to become colorless, as if the color was being absorbed from the surrounding.

"Blech!" Trixie said with a disgusted face, shivers running down her spine. "If we survive this, I will suffer weeks of sleepless nights"

"Don't worry." Chrysalis patted the blue unicorn on her shoulder. "We won't survive this."

Trixie gulped. "You're not helping!"

Shoreline let out a loud, demonic laugh. " _Behold the true power that Centaria had kept away from us!_ " she spoke with a distorted, low-pitched voice, resembling little to nothing of her original tone.

"Uh...mom? Are you okay?" Cloudy asked, slowly approaching Shoreline along with her sister.

"Aren't you going to share the magic with us?" Cinnamon added.

" _Oh yes…_ " Shoreline used the vines in her body to grow claws on her hooves, allowing her to easily balance on her hind legs. " _Enjoy this!_ " She formed a ball of magic in her upper claw and launched it at her daughters, blasting them out of the castle.

"You have lost your mind!" Scott shouted.

" _Say whatever you want, I have the upper hoof now!_ " Shoreline formed another orb of magic in her claw, releasing a massive, continuous beam towards the buildings of Jinjabannera, cutting one of them in half. The citizens began running around in terror.

"STOP!" Starlight exclaimed, using Acelero to swoop at Shoreline and hit her in the chest, pushing her several feet back.

" _How pathetic!_ " Shoreline said before once again attacking Starlight. With another magical blast, her body fell into the rough stonework.

"Starlight!" Sunburst gasped, rushing to his friend's side.

" _Is this all you've got?_ " Shoreline made a quick slashing motion with her upper claw, generating a powerful shockwave that knocked everyone into the ground.

Shoreline received a big blast to the face, again from Starlight. " _Still haven't given up?_ " she said as the purple unicorn charged at her. Right before Starlight released the beam, Shoreline hit her on the face with a vine, making her roll on the ground backward and release the beam to a whole new direction. " _Oh, look what you've done! You almost destroyed your mother!_ "

Starlight opened her eyes wide, not believing what she had heard. She quickly stood up and found Shoreline gesturing to her right. She followed the gesture with her eyes. Her beam had broke the wall of one of the castle's chamber, revealing the statue of a unicorn mare. The mare was rearing, a fierce glare on her face. Starlight gasped in shock, unable to move.

" _Would you just look at her?!_ " Shoreline faked a sympathetic tone, which quickly shifted back to a poisonous, cruel one. " _So arrogant, so sure of herself, so confident that she could defeat me...just like you, Miss Gimmer!_ " She started playing with an orb of magic in her claw, which made Starlight's heart race. " _Back then her behaviour got on my nerves, but now when I look back at it, it CRACKS me up!_ " Before anyone could react, she released the orb as a magic blast, shattering the statue.

"NOOO!" Starlight screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched her mother turning into small pieces. Shoreline was laughing, but it was barely audible to her. All she could hear was the sound of the statue's pieces hitting the ground. For a moment, her body went numb, and she couldn't hear anything, her mind trying to register what had just happened. When it finally did, her breathing's speed began to pick up, rage burning her from the inside. Now that all the statue's pieces had hit the ground, the only thing she could hear was Shoreline's laughter.

"Starlight...no…" Sunburst muttered, having no idea how to react.

Starlight's horn glowed blindingly, her mane and tail flapping in a wind that blew only around her. She levitated herself with her magic, small particles on the ground around her floating under the effect of the sheer magical power in the air.

Shoreline kept laughing.

"SHUT UP!" Starlight screamed, releasing a massive beam of energy at Shoreline. The beam was so big that it enveloped her completely, before creating an earth-shaking explosion, destroying several pillars inside the castle.

When the dust cleared, Shoreline was standing in the middle of a deep crater that had a trench linking between it and Starlight. She released a beam as Starlight flew towards her, but the wrathful purple unicorn teleported to her side, striking her with a huge blast that sent her digging another trench into the ground.

Starlight didn't give Shoreline any break, as she flew to her, grabbed her and threw her away with all her might, launching her through the castle's wall. As Shoreline continued to fly under the effect of the throw's great momentum, Starlight teleported above her and blasted her into the ground, creating a huge crater. Starlight then flew down towards her enemy at full speed, pulling her hoof back for a punch. The attack produced a powerful shockwave, deepening and widening the crater.

Standing on top of Shoreline, Starlight prepared to punch her again, but Shoreline quickly grabbed her by the neck.

" _You're such a pain in the flank, Miss Glimmer,_ " Shoreline hissed, standing up with a squirming Starlight in her grasp. " _Just like your mother!_ " The monster extended the vines holding Starlight, then used them to slam her on the ground several times, before blasting her inside the castle with a beam of magic.

The attack sent Starlight through the castle's wall and a pillar, before the momentum was lost and allowed her to fall on the ground. She barely managed to stand up, hooves shaking, her breathing still fast and her cheeks still wet with tears that were now mixed with dirt. Her body was sore, and her outburst had exhausted her, but it didn't hurt more than the burning rage inside. She couldn't see the others where she had left them, which confused her. She touched her saddle bag, but there was no sign of the cocoon.

 _What the hay?!_ She thought, looking for the cocoon. She finally found it resting beside a rock. Before she could move, Shoreline entered the castle through the hole in the wall, floating with her dark magic. Starlight gritted her jaws at the sight of the monstrous equine.

 _Letting anger control you will do more damage to you than it will to Shoreline,_ Starlight remembered Centaria's words, squeezing her eyes shut. "But…" she muttered. She used all her might to take a deep breath and exhale slowly, allowing her body to stop shaking. _Trust your friends_. Starlight opened her eyes just in time to see Sunburst, Scott and Trixie sneaking behind Shoreline, but there was no sign of Chrysalis.

" _NOW you've given up?_ " Shoreline said, standing beside the cocoon. " _Oh well, it was kind of fun while it lasted._ " Starlight chuckled, her eyes hidden in the shade of her mane, drawing a look of confusion on Shoreline's face. " _What's so funny?_ "

"You will lose, Shoreline," Starlight said, her eyes still hidden.

" _And why are you so sure?_ "

Starlight finally looked up, frowning confidently. "Because you are _alone_!"

Shoreline wanted to speak, but a portal opened in front of her face. From the portal she could see ...the top of a pillar.

Scott was standing on one of the castle's walls, a portal in his forelegs and a pillar in front of him, the top of the broken pillar reaching only half the way through the wall's height. He jumped, and as gravity pulled him down quickly, he passed the portal on the pillar's entire length at high speed.

Shoreline gave a cry of pain as the pillar thrusted through the portal in front of her and straight into her face like a fist of stone, flinging her several meters back. As soon as she stood up, Sunburst released a thick stream of fire at her, to which she raised her forelegs to try and shield her eyes.

From behind, Trixie conjured a big circular shield with a sharp edge, then threw it with all the might she could muster at Shoreline's left hind leg, forcing her to her knee.

Finally, a rock beside Shoreline transformed into Chrysalis, using her shapeshifting magic to turn her foreleg into a sword, then slashed at Shoreline's right hind leg, forcing her completely to her knees.

"Now!" Sunburst called.

Not wasting any time, Starlight managed to use Accelero to charge at Shoreline, using what was left of her strength to blast her into the other side of the castle.

"Oh yeah!" Trixie cheered, throwing a hoof in the air.

"Centaria wants to speak with you," Scott said, trotting up to Starlight. The way he trotted made it clear that the fall had strained his hind hooves. "Go. We will keep Shoreline busy."

"Shoreline is getting stronger as time goes, so hurry up!" Chrysalis added.

Starlight nodded, scooping the Cocoon of Liberation in her foreleg and galloping toward Centaria. When she reached her, Shoreline had recovered and was preparing to fight her friends. The elder Centipede was curled into a circle, but she raised the upper quarter of her body upon seeing Starlight.

"Shoreline used the weapon," Starlight spoke, staring sadly at the relic in her hooves. "Is there still any use of the Cocoon?"

"Yes. Come closer," Centaria replied. She conjured a spell between her mandibles in the form of a blue sphere of light, then released it at the cocoon. In seconds, the relic glowed blue.

"Now what?" Starlight asked, staring in awe at the cocoon.

"Now there's only one spell you have to cast on it," Centaria answered, using her magic to wipe some dust off her forehead. "The spell your mentor had completed before ascending."

"What?!" Starlight's eyes grew wide, taking a step back. "No, that spell is very hard! There's no way I can cast it! And who knows what effects it may have on me?!"

"Just do it, Starlight! It's our only hope now."

"O...okay," Starlight gulped. Lighting her horn, she began to recite the spell, stuttering, "F-From all of us together, together we are friends, with the marks of our d-destinies made one, there is magic w-without end!" Her horn glowed bright pink for a second before returning to normal. "See? I failed!"

"Try again!" Centaria said. "Cast this spell with your heart, not just your horn."

Starlight took a deep breath, fixing her position. She recited the spell louder than the first time, her horn glowing bright, "From all of us together, together we are friends, with the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!"

Shoreline grabbed Chrysalis by the neck and slammed her on the ground, pinning her down, the great pressure causing the ground underneath her to crack.

" _So much for a queen_ ," Shoreline the vines on Shoreline's spare foreleg took the shape of a spear.

"Stop right there!"

Shoreline turned her face to the call. Starlight was trotting towards her with steady steps, a pink-glowing cocoon in her magic grasp. Her whole body was glowing pink, and her Cutie Mark was pulsating with magic. The small army began to pulsate with similar magic.

Shoreline frowned, throwing Chrysalis at the wall. " _What do you want now?! I'm sick of you! You can't defeat me and you know it, so stop trying!_ "

"No matter how strong you are, I still have something you don't have," Starlight said, grabbing the cocoon with a foreleg and raising it high. "I have _friends_!"

The pink glow began to flow from Starlight's body to the cocoon, then three red beams shot from Sunburst, Trixie and Scott towards the magical relic in Starlight's hoof. Once the beams faded, the Cocoon glowed blindingly.

Suddenly, a hoof landed on Starlight's hoof that had the Cocoon, a hoof of the same color. Starlight's heart skipped a beat as she lowered her face to see who was holding her hoof, and it was exactly who she had suspected.

"You thought you could run away from me just like that?" Starlight's clone said, grinning wickedly.

Everything around Starlight slowed down until it stopped. Time stopped moving. The only things moving were her and her evil copy. Her hoof began to ache.

"You thought you could forget about me?" The copy tightened her grip on Starlight's hoof, forcing her to kneel and close her eyes in pain. "You can never erase me, Starlight! I will always be there! You spent your whole life hurting others. It's true that Shoreline had a hoof in what you've done, but in the end, it was all _your_ deeds and choices. You can't change that! YOU CAN'T UNDO THE PAST!"

Starlight opened her eyes, grabbing the clone's hoof with her spare foreleg, slowly standing back up. "You are right, I can't undo the past," she said, breaking the clone's grip on her hoof. "But as a friend once told me, the past is _not_ today! You belong in the past, and in the past you shall stay!" She punched the clone with the Cocoon, causing her to vanish into thin air and causing time to move again. With that, Starlight quickly slammed the Cocoon on her chest.

Starlight was engulfed in a sphere of light and levitated off the ground. All the colors of the rainbow spun around the sphere, then two butterfly wings sprouted from it. Finally, the sphere shattered, revealing a scene that had everyone in awe.

Starlight was now tall and slender like an alicorn, and her mane and tail were much longer and had small white sparkles sprinkled on them. Her horn was short, with two, long antennae on her head that folded back in a spiral way. Her muzzle was short but pointed, she had a thick collar of purple fluff around her neck, and her translucent butterfly wings were iridescent.

Harvest's eyes almost poked out of his face, sighing dreamily before passing out.

" _So what, you've become pretty?_ " Shoreline chuckled. " _You have to do better than that!_ "

"This ends now!" Starlight said, her voice slightly deeper than before. She lunged forwards, preparing her foreleg for a punch, and so did Shoreline.

The two mighty punches met, causing shockwave that obliterated from the ground around them and almost sent everyone off balance. Shoreline swung her foreleg again, but Starlight ducked, slamming both of her forelegs on Shoreline's side. The attack was unexpectedly strong, as it sent Shoreline out of the castle and digging a long trench in the soil.

Starlight flew out of the castle and glided towards Shoreline, firing a mighty blast of magic, which Shoreline countered with a blast of her own. The resulting explosion was closer to Shoreline, which stunned her temporarily. Starlight took advantage and fired another blast, creating another trench in the ground.

Shoreline jumped out of the resulting cloud of dust, using vines to grab Starlight and slam her on the ground. She followed the attack by shooting a beam, which Starlight dodged barely, leaving it to destroy more earth.

The two magically enhanced beings continued to clash, throwing blasts and beams around in every direction and causing more destruction.

"If this fight goes on for too long, they will destroy everything!" Trixie exclaimed.

"It might be already too late," Chrysalis said, trotting with one foreleg on her waist to cover an injury. She had taken the most pounding from Shoreline.

"No, I'm sure Starlight will find a way to stop this," Scott responded, turning to Sunburst. "Right?"

"I hope so," the crystaller replied, letting out a sigh. "I trust her. Come on!" With that, he started out of the castle.

"Yeah, sure, let's follow the two overpowered beings who are fighting with magic strong enough to level Equestria! What could possibly go wrong?!" Trixie commented, before following Sunburst, along with Chrysalis and the Flutterbreezes.

"Will you be okay alone?" Scott asked Centaria.

"Don't worry about me," the centipede answered calmly, closing her eyes, before Scott left after the others.

"Shoreline—" Starlight said, blocking a punch then punching her opponent in the chest to push her away. "Just...stop!" Another blast was dodged. "It doesn't have to end like this!"

" _Yes it does!_ " Shoreline snapped, charging at Starlight. The latter side stepped, knocking Shoreline into the ground with a blast. The demonic unicorn stood up again. " _I will rule the world and lead it into a golden age for unicorns, and you will not stop me!_ "

Starlight dashed at Shoreline and delivered a mighty punch to her face, slamming her at the ground. She then grabbed both Shoreline's forelegs in one hoof and pulled them behind her back, using the other hoof to push against Shoreline's head to keep her from moving.

"Look at this...just look!" Starlight forced Shoreline to stare at their surroundings. Craters, ashes and wreckage everywhere, and everything was colorless. Shoreline fell silent for a moment. "You're not going to rule Equestria in a golden age, you're going to rule a barren wasteland! You are only thinking about yourself, about your own power. Power that has corrupted you, and it will make you hurt everypony around you, even the ponies you love!"

"I DON'T LOVE ANYPONY!" Shoreline barked, trying to turn her head back at Starlight.

"Are you sure?" Starlight forced the demonic pony to turn her head to the castle

Beside the huge, ruined structure, were Shoreline's daughters. They were covered in wounds, and Cinnamon was helping her sister to stand up with shakey hooves. Upon seeing that scene, Shoreline's glaring face softened, and for a split second her eyes flashed green.

"You only cared about gaining more power that you neglected your own daughters and their future," Starlight continued. She could feel Shoreline's muscles slightly relaxing. " You said you would be considered a hero. Tell me, Shoreline, do you feel like a hero now?"

Shoreline roared, suddenly jerking her body until she freed herself from Starlight's grasp, pushing her away. She placed her front hooves on her head and growled. " _Starlight...stop me!_ " she pleaded, taking shaky steps back. " _You have to destroy me, Starlight!_ "

"Mom, no!" Cinnamon screamed, tears welling in her eyes, while her sister was outright crying.

"Please, snap out of this, mom!" Cloudy pleaded.

" _I...can't! Destroy me, Starlight, before I hurt my daughters again!_ "

"Resist, Shoreline! Don't let this be your future, fight it with all you've got!" Starlight added.

Shoreline extended the vines in her forelegs and wrapped them tightly around Starlight's neck, then raised her in the air. A pink glow began to flow through the vines and toward Shoreline.

"Starlight!" Sunburst and Trixie exclaimed in fear.

" _You should have taken the chance to destroy me,_ " Shoreline hissed, her demonic eyes glowing. " _You are using a part of Jinjabannera's magic. Give it to me! GIVE ME WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!_ "

"Y-You want my magic?!" Starlight choked out, spreading her wings and charging her horn. "TAKE IT!" A massive stream of energy was unleashed, destroying the vines around her neck as it rushed toward its target.

Shoreline raised her hooves in front of her face, creating a magic shield around herself. The beam was extremely powerful, pushing her several meters back and obliterating the ground around and behind her, but she was still standing.

" _Aghhhh, you...can't stop me!_ " Shoreline growled, pushing against the attack.

"She's still moving!" Trixie yelled.

"Not for too long," Sunburst said. He stepped closer to Starlight, then released a magic beam of his own at Shoreline.

Quickly, Scott and Trixie joined in. Starlight's beam seemed to get more powerful as her friends joined, and Shoreline's shield began to crack.

Suddenly, Shoreline's right eye turned from red to green, and her right foreleg began to retract slowly. " _No...stop...no!_ " Her foreleg was finally retracted, causing the shield around her to tremble even more. Still, she kept pushing.

"We need more help!" Scott shouted.

"Chrysalis!" Trixie called. "Why don't you join us?!"

Chrysalis took a clumsy step forward, almost stumbling. She charged her horn, only for the magic to fizzle out quickly. "I...I can't," she sighed. "I'm... too exhausted."

Sunburst thought for a moment, his eyes widening in realization. "There is a way for you to help us! You have to share—"

"NO!" Chrysalis snapped back, glaring. "Don't even think about it!"

"Ugh, we don't have time for this argument!" Trixie exclaimed, sweating as she tried to channel more magic.

"Do you want Shoreline to throw you in the basement again?!" Sunburst said.

 _Basement, Basement, Basement..._

Upon hearing Sunburst's words, Chrysalis' eyes grew wide. She felt a sudden strength inside her, as she hovered near Starlight with a death glare aimed at Shoreline. "SHORELINE WITCH!" she called, folding her forelegs against her chest just as it began to glow pink. "TRY TO ABSORB _THIS_!" She released an echoing shout, and her pink light engulfed her nemesis.

Chrysalis's attack was all Shoreline's shield needed to collapse completely.

Shoreline screamed, as Starlight and her friends' attacks hit her, producing a mighty, colorful explosion. As the explosion occurred, a warm wind washed over the land, restoring the lost colors.

"No…," Cloudy muttered with tears in her eyes, dropping into her knees.

"Don't worry," Starlight reassured, landing beside the crying unicorn.

The cloud of dust left by the explosion cleared, revealing a great, deep crater, in which Shoreline, in her normal form, was trying to stand up, injuries coating her body. Her necklace was lying in front of her, shattered into small pieces.

"Mom!" Cloudy perked up, rushing to her mother's side, followed closely by Cinnamon. The two sisters helped their mother to her hooves.

The three unicorns looked up at the edge of the crater where Starlight was standing. Tears were running down Shoreline's cheeks, but she didn't say anything. The trio then ignited their horns, preparing to teleport. At the last moment, Cloudy's lips muttered a "Thank you", then they vanished in a flash of light.

"C-Chrysalis?" Trixie uttered, approaching Chrysalis slowly. The changeling's back was facing her, but the sight had her in awe. It was so regal, so majestic. She couldn't believe she was actually admiring Chrysalis' appearance. "Did you…"

"What?!" Chrysalis turned around, removing Trixie's smile.

Trixie didn't know if her eyes were tricking her, as Chrysalis was still in her original form, even though she could swear she had seen something entirely different a few seconds ago. "N...nothing," she stuttered.

"I figured so!" Chrysalis said, turning her face away.

"Chrysalis, I want to—"

"Don't," Chrysalis interrupted Starlight's statement, already knowing what she wanted to say. "Don't thank me." She paused. "But...I thank you...for saving my life."

Starlight perked up.

"But now because of your stupidity, Shoreline escaped and I have to find her to take my revenge from her! Oh, and you will regret saving me when I take my revenge from _you_!" Chrysalis continued, engulfing herself in green flame, before vanishing.

Starlight sighed, heading back to the castle with her friends. Once inside, Starlight flew to the remnants of her mother's statue. She stared at them for a moment, before squeezing her eyes shut, letting out a long breath that spoke of pain.

Centaria moved closer to Starlight, fully recovered and in her full strength now that Shoreline's weapon was destroyed. She conjured a spell, and the remnants of Aurora's statue floated and began to join together. Starlight couldn't believe her eyes. In less than a minute, the statue was completely reassembled. Centaria gave her a nod, saying "Use the magic of the Cocoon."

Starlight lit her horn and casted a beam of magic at her mother, freeing her from the curse.

Aurora Glimmer dropped on her front hooves, still glaring. "What...what did you do, Shoreline?! You will pay for—Agh! My back!" She rubbed her back in pain, before twisting it, gaining a loud 'POP' sound. "What the hay happened to me?! I feel like I was broken to pieces!" She widened her eyes upon seeing the group of two unicorns, a deer, a giant centipede and a purple-mutant-butterfly-pony. "Whoa! Who are you?! Not you, Centaria, I know who you are but...wait, Centaria? You're not a statue anymore?! What the hay is happening?! And you, deer, you look like...Scott?" She took a step back as realization hit her like a wall of bricks. "Oh no...it must have been a long time ago."

"It was indeed a long time," Centaria said.

"Okay okay," Aurora shook her head. "I understand how Scott became older, but could you please explain this creature to me?!" She gestured at Starlight. "No offense. You look pretty...but really weird at the same time." She smiled sheepishly.

A purple light washed over Starlight, turning her back to her normal form, the light then accumulated in a small sphere that floated beside her. She took a step forward, her lower lip quivering. "M...Mom? I-It's me."

Aurora squinted her eyes at the purple unicorn for a moment, before gasping. "Starlight? It's you?!"

Starlight nodded, unable to stop a tear from escaping her eye. "I grew up...got stronger...m-made friends..." Her voice trailed away in emotion.

"Oh my gosh!" Aurora brought a hoof to her mouth, giving a wide, teary smile, before rushing to her daughter and taking her in a tight embrace. Starlight immediately broke into a river of tears that quickly soaked her cheeks and her mother's mane. "It's okay, Starlight. I'll never leave you again."

As Centaria, Sunburst, Trixie, Scott and the Flutterbreezes shed tears of joy at the scene, Sunburst used Trixie's cape to blow his nose.

"Use...your own cape!" Trixie scolded.

"Boy do we have a lot to catch up on!" Starlight chuckled, wiping tears off her cheek as she broke the hug.

"Sure we do!" Aurora beamed, giggling. She took a moment to let her misty vision fully take in the sight of her daughter, the daughter she had left a baby what felt like less than a day ago, but was actually long, _long_ years. "You have no idea how it feels to see you a full-grown mare...even if it's a little weird that my own daughter is now almost as old as me." She laughed, placing a hoof around her daughter's shoulders.

"Yeeeaah, I don't think anypony will believe that you're my mother," Starlight chuckled, the remaining tears in her eyes glistening in the faint moonlight.

"And look at _you_ , Scotty!" Aurora trotted up to Scott Free, giving him a friendly punch at the shoulder. "You're a big, handsome deer now!" She winked, making the magical deer's cheeks flush.

"It's such a joy to have you back, Aurora." Centaria laughed.

"Oh man, this so calls for a celebration!" Brick suggested, throwing a fist in the air.

"Yes, but we have to check the citizens of Jinjabannera," Starlight responded. "We have to make sure that Shoreline's attack didn't hurt anypony."

The sphere of light floating beside Starlight split in four, one went to Starlight herself, one to Sunburst, one to Trixie and one to Scott. The magical spheres formed amulets around their necks, each amulet containing a symbol of its owner's Cutie Mark inside a gem, except for Scott, whose amulet contained a symbol of two antlers with whisp of magic between them. Starlight's amulet was deep blue, Trixie's was silver, Sunburst's was dark orange, and Scott's was green. Starlight's amulet created a black cloak for her with three blue diamonds on its back, while Scott's created a yellow one with green plant embellishments. Everyone simply stared in awe.

"Hmm, fancy," Lavender commented, admiring the new costumes.

-oOo-

By the time they were done helping the citizens, the sun had begun to rise, the bright bands of sunlight reflecting off the snow and illuminating the damage done by the battle. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries, and the damage was limited to structures, including the restaurant Shoreline had cut in half, a few craters here and there, and a whole in the wall of the mansion where Shoreline had resided.

When the citizens had seen Centaria and Aurora, they had quickly begun to retrieve their memories of them. Some of them had hesitated due to their memories being tucked away for so long. Others rushed to greet the long-lost queen and their saviors: Starlight, Sunburst, Trixie and Scott.

"Oh my, that was quite an adventure you went through!" Aurora said, after Starlight had explained to her how she had found Jinjabannera and defeated Shoreline.

"Oh, wait until you hear about the other adventures I went through," Starlight giggled, but her smile faded when she remembered things she had to tell her mother, too. "And...other things that I'm...not so proud of."

"STARLIGHT!"

Starlight turned her face to the voice she could never mistaken. She saw Twilight and her friends running towards her. The element bearers and Spike skidded to a halt in front of the, panting.

"I saw the letter and the map you had left for me in the castle and I have a very important question: What the hay is going on?!" Twilight exclaimed, waving a hoof at her surrounding.

"On our way here, we began to glow pink and our Cutie Marks pulsated! And I was like 'Awe!' and Rarity was like 'Oh, this looks so divine!'" Pinkie yelled, rubbing her frizzy mane. She gained a frown from Rarity for her sarcastic mimicking of her voice. "And then we faced a herd of giant wolves! I know Rainbow Dash enjoyed it for the most part, but they were so creepy!"

"What is this place?" Twilight asked.

"Uh...my kingdom?" Starlight answered with a sheepish grin.

"Wait a moment, does this mean YOU'RE A PRINCESS NOW?!" Pinkie gasped.

"No, no, no! What I meant is that this is my home," Starlight placed a hoof on her mother's shoulder, smiling proudly. "Mom, this is my mentor: Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship! Twilight, this is my mother: Aurora Glimmer!"

"Oh, such a pleasure to meet you, Princess!" Aurora bowed, before shaking Twilight's hoof eagerly. "And thank you so much for mentoring my daughter!"

"Hold on a second," Twilight shook her head. " _You_ are Starlight's mother?!" Aurora nodded with a wide smile. "But...you look as old as her!"

"That's because she _is_ as old as me," Starlight giggled.

"How in Equestria is this possible?!" Rarity asked, rubbing her head.

"Magic... _dark_ magic, to be precise." Starlight laughed nervously. "It's a really long story."

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but instead she sneezed, accidentally releasing a powerful beam of magic. Trixie quickly blocked the beam with a shield.

"Easy there, Rares! This land has seen enough magic beams in the last few hours," Trixie commented with a giggle.

"Wha...how did that happen?!" Rarity's eyes grew wide in shock.

"That's a part of the long story." Starlight grinned, scratching her neck.

"Oh my goodness! You two are pegasi?!" Scott practically flash-stepped toward Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy with a large, goofy smile, gently unfolding and inspecting one of the latter's wings. "I haven't seen any pegasus in...well, I don't even remember!" He then turned his attention to Applejack and Pinkie. "Earth Ponies?! This is so awesome! And ...wait a second ..." His eyes finally met Twilight, growing so wide that they almost poked out of his face. "AL...ALICORN!" He finally collapsed to the ground, the smile never leaving his face.

"O-okay then," Twilight said, weirded out. "Um, I guess it's nice to meet somepony eager to learn?"

"Oh, that monster looks cool!" Pinkie Pie remarked, pointing at Centaria.

Starlight's eyes widened. "It...she's not a monster, she's the queen of this land!"

"What?" Pinkie rubbed her frizzy mane. "But...queens are evil!"

Twilight face hoofed as everyone tried to stifle their laughs. "No, Pinkie, not all queens are evil!" She corrected calmly

"Equestrian stereotypes…" Centaria muttered with a deadpan. She then turned to Starlight. "I hope you've found the answer to your question regarding your destiny, Starlight."

Starlight faced the queen, a proud smile adorning her face. "Yes, I think I did." She turned to gaze at the buildings around her, her new cloak flapping in the cold wind. "My destiny is to be a protector of this land and Equestria, a guardian of Harmony!" She looked back at Centaria, who gave her a nod. "With the help of my friends, I will use my magic to make the world a better place. I used to hate being a hero, used to think that I wasn't capable of handling big responsibilities, because I was always afraid of screwing up. But our destinies aren't always the thing that we've always dreamed of. Sometimes, our destiny is something we usually avoid or hate. But we have to be strong and face it, because...because the world isn't a story in which we are the main characters, in which we are the center of the universe. Each one of us has a role, a part to take in this life, and once we realize that part and embrace it, we will grow to love it!" She let out a sigh, feeling embarrassed upon realizing that she had been talking like Twilight.

"Aw, isn't she just cute when she's all deep and thoughtful?!" Aurora chimed with a goofy smile, taking her daughter in a hug.

"My student is growing up so quickly!" Twilight sniffled, hugging Starlight as well.

"Yay, a group hug!" Pinkie exclaimed, joining the embrace.

"Guys...I'm not...a stuffed toy!" Starlight yelled as she tried to free herself. Still, she was flushed with happiness.

Aurora, Twilight and Pinkie broke the hug, giggling.

"Does...does this mean you will leave Ponyville?" Twilight asked with worry in her eyes.

"Nah," Starlight replied, placing a hoof on her mother's shoulder. "My mom created a portal to Equestria in that big mansion long time ago. If we use it to link the mansion with the Castle of Friendship, I can be with you and with Jinjabannera at the same time!"

Twilight sighed in relief.

"Starlight!" Sunburst called, rushing to stand in front of the pony in question. "There's something very important!"

"What is it?" Starlight asked worriedly.

Before Starlight could react, Sunburst slammed his lips on her cheek and retreated quickly, leaving the mare in shock.

"S-Sorry...I really had to do this. Please don't be mad," Sunburst stuttered, his cheeks radiating.

After a few seconds of standing in shock, Starlight grabbed the crystaller by his cloak's neck. He prepared himself for the worst, but he didn't prepare himself for Starlight giving him a quick kiss on the lips. The two unicorns' cheeks were as red as ever. Very soon, Sunburst fell to the ground unconscious.

-oOo-

That night, most of Jinjabannera's citizens gathered for celebration. Despite the restaurant being cut in half by a magical death beam, everyone was having a great time.

Trixie was telling everyone stories about her adventures, especially how she helped defeat Shoreline. Twilight knew that she was exaggerating, even Centaria wore an expression that made it clear that Trixie was glorifying some parts, but neither of them wanted to ruin the fun everyone was having.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having a cup of cold Jinjabanneran tea, a drink that quickly became Rainbow's second favorite after cider. Pinkie was digging into a cake at one table, while Fluttershy was busy talking to the deers, Changelings and Flutterbreezes, and Spike was busy with the wingless dragons.

Starlight was sitting on the table behind Pinkie's. Beside her sat Rarity, and on the other side was her mother. When Rarity got busy talking with one of the deers, Starlight levitated her cup of coffee and took a sip.

It was cold.

She had been caught up chatting with Rarity and the others that she had left her coffee to get cold.

"Do you want a new cup?" Aurora said, smiling warmly. Starlight just stared at her with no reply. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Aurora turned to gaze out the window.

Starlight ignited her horn, teleporting to her mother's side. Slowly, she lied down on the wide seat, resting her head on Aurora's lap. "I don't want a new cup coffee," she said, closing her eyes. "I just want to be with you."

Aurora stared at her daughter in surprise, then smiled, giving a faint chuckle, before gently caressing Starlight's mane.

"It's a beautiful night indeed."

 **-The End-**


End file.
